


Campus Duelers

by darkmagiattack



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Also everyone is gay, Alternate Universe - College/University, Chatfic Elements, F/F, Light Recreational Drug Use, M/M, Slow Burn, also anything can be a shadow game like the manga, everyone is in a gaming club together as well, mix of sub and dub names for characters, yugi makes duel monsters for class with seto and duke and everything goes to hell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-07-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:20:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23601472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmagiattack/pseuds/darkmagiattack
Summary: An AU where instead of creating Duel Monsters, Pegasus founds the University of Industry and Illusions, a college of the arts and humanities. The tablet-sealed monsters are yet to be discovered, and most of the Millennium Items lay dormant as they are researched by the college’s extensive Anthropology department.Everything changes when Game Design major Yugi Muto receives a mysterious package in the mail from his grandfather, and starts working on a game for class based off his roommate Ryou’s research.
Relationships: Bakura Ryou/Jounouchi Katsuya | Joey Wheeler, Bakura Ryou/Mutou Yuugi, Ishizu Ishtar/Kujaku Mai | Mai Valentine, Kaiba Seto/Mutou Yuugi, Kaiba Seto/Yami Yuugi, Mutou Yuugi/Yami Yuugi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 40





	1. Creature Crossroads

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this is my first serious fic in a long while (most never see the light of day), but i have free time enough right now to write this very self indulgent fic. this fic in part takes inspiration from my own college experience, and being in my senior year during everything sure is weird. 
> 
> i have most of the plot already decided so i should be posting regularly over the next few weeks as i work towards the end. i hope you all stay tuned! tags and such will be updated as i go.

_ You have no new messages. _

Yugi Muto huffed and closed his phone’s ui, trying not to let his worry get to him. He knew that Anzu was busy confessing to a girl from their hometown, but what if the train left before she returned? Anzu had been pining over this girl since Yugi had known her, but it’d taken until the last second for his childhood friend to gather the courage to confess. 

He hadn’t given up on believing that Anzu would make it to the train. She would make it, just like she always did. He was sure he’d caught the ability to pull off risky maneuvers by watching her tumble her way through life effortlessly. A good trait for a dancer to have, he supposed.

So, it was to his utter disbelief that he didn’t encounter the sprinting Anzu he’d been praying to glimpse as the train finally lurched forward into motion. His stomach twisted with worry. They’d promised each other that they’d start this journey together, heading to Domino City to start the next step of their lives at the newly formed University of Industry and Illusions. 

Despite its recent formation, the school had already gained a substantial reputation due to its rigorous set of entrance exams and roster of celebrity endorsements. He’d even heard the heir to the Kaiba Corporation was to be enrolled in his major, Game Design; That particular rumor had to be a hoax. Both he and Anzu had managed to get in with full ride scholarships, so it was hard to imagine that he would be bumping elbows with billionaires.

Either way, it was the opportunity of a lifetime. Nothing short of a disaster should have stopped Anzu from showing up to the station. Did she end up getting turned down? Yugi laced his fingers together and turned to look back out the window. 

A knock from above his head startled him, and he looked up to see Anzu standing over him, her hand resting in a fist on the carry on rack. She seemed a bit disheveled from running, but her face was plastered with a breathless grin of relief. “Did you think I’d really break my promise, Yugi? Here I am! I wouldn’t miss starting out my journey with you for the world. No matter where we end up going, we’re going to start this together!” 

Yugi grinned up at her fondly, his face lighting up. “Anzu! How did it go? I never stopped believing for a single moment.” 

Anzu posed in the aisle, giving him a cheeky thumbs up. “What do you think? She said she wanted to be my friend!” She intoned sarcastically. He blinked, unsure if she was joking or not, although a small smile crept onto his features.

“Anzu?” She could hardly keep a straight face, her enthusiasm threatening to bubble over. “I’m messing with you, of course. She said yes!” 

“Congrats!” Yugi exclaimed, rising quickly as she surged over to hug him. The hug swept him into the air, leaving him breathless as Anzu twirled him around once before depositing him. 

Yugi gave a sigh of relief, laughing as he slipped out of her grip. “Don’t tease me like that! You almost had me worried.” He shook his head, still smiling. “What are you going to do without me keeping you in check constantly?”

Anzu stuck her tongue out at him as she deposited herself in the seat next to him. “I could say the same of you! What are you going to do without  _ me _ to keep  _ you _ out of trouble? This campus is in for a rude awakening.”

Yugi couldn’t help but agree, chuckling. “I hope we don’t bring too much trouble on our heels.” 

“Nothing we can’t handle together! Honestly, I think  _ we _ are the trouble, Yugi.” 

The rest of the several hour train ride was spent in rather high spirits, flitting by like the scenery outside the train car. Their time was passed with a few rounds of Mortal Mash Brothers, sporting Anzu as the undefeated winner, before they switched to Creature Crossroads to maintain their towns. It was so similar to the countless times the pair had hung out during their youth, yet this time felt so markedly different. The pair was finally leaving their hometown, and Yugi couldn’t remember ever being so excited. This was finally it.

His enthusiasm waned slightly when they found themselves at the main gates of the University of Industry and Illusions. The large glass pane buildings of the college loomed over them only slightly forebodingly. It was a large campus; the founder and Dean, Maximillion Pegasus, had made himself known as one of the largest patrons of the arts in their era when he had built it. Their dorms were on opposite sides of campus, so they would certainly have to part ways at some point. Before their departure, they take a moment to get their bearings at the map. 

“Make sure you text me your schedule and keep in touch,” Anzu reminded Yugi as they turned to go, her smile warm. “You don’t have to worry about me, but make sure you make plenty of gamer friends so I can come by and wipe the floor with them at Mash Bros. I know you’ll do great.” 

Yugi groaned, wiping a half-formed tear out the corner of his eye with the back of his fist. “Anzu, stop talking like you’re about to die. I’m just across campus if you get lonely, although I doubt you’ll have enough time for that. You’ll make plenty of friends yourself, you’re getting to dance at one of the best Arts universities in the world, and to top it off you have a girlfriend to plan trips back for date with, now. We’ll do just fine.” 

With a small, relieved giggle, Anzu picked up the rest of her things, her mood bouncing back. “You always know what to say to get me pumped up, Yugi. Thank you.” She took a few steps and waved over her shoulder, before she paused, as if remembering something. “Mushy things aside, you better text me first if you get a crush on someone! I have dibs on that information, just so you know.” 

Yugi blanched with surprise, but he wasn’t about to disagree with her. “Yeah, yeah!” He replied, filled with doubt at the prospect. He was here to learn how to design games, first and foremost. Anzu shook her head at him. “I mean it, silly. But either way, I oughta run now. Have a nice evening, Yugi! Later!” He waved after her retreating form until he couldn’t make her out anymore, and picked up his bags. 

It was getting late enough, so he decided he should probably try to settle into his dorm room and then see if any food places nearby were still open. The walk towards his dorm building was a surprisingly quiet one. It seemed many of the other students had already moved in earlier in the day, so he assumed that his roommate had as well. 

He was interested to see what sort of person his roommate turned out to be. Throughout his life, Yugi had always been an only child, and had never really had to share a space with someone else. He couldn’t say that it was the scariest prospect, but he’d also heard enough horror stories to make him hesitate a moment as he reached the door to the room he’d be living in for the next two semesters. He could hear movement on the other side, although he couldn’t make out what they were doing. 

What was he waiting for? The worst they could do was not like him. Yugi opened the door, peeking his head in as he made eye contact with a taller boy his age wearing a loose striped sweater.

His roommate was lanky, although he seemed frail despite his moderate height. An unruly mane of stark white hair framed his angular face, which wore an expression of deep concentration until the sound of the door opening had caused him to look directly at Yugi. This intrusion seemed to startle him, as the white-haired man promptly lost his grip on the armful of papers that he had been carrying, sending a cascade of pages to the ground. 

“Ah! Sorry-“ Yugi began, setting his things to the side as he stepped in to help clean up the sea of papers. “I probably should have knocked first.” 

The white-haired man knelt immediately, working with Yugi to gather the pages into a more manageable pile. “No worries, “ his roommate chuckled lightly, although he seemed a bit flustered about his mishap nonetheless. “If I’m honest, I tend to be a little jumpy from time to time. Not the impression I hoped to make, though.” His smile was weary.

“Not the impression I hoped to make either,” Yugi replied with a chuckle of his own as he handed the rest of the papers to his roommate, “Do you want to start over?” 

Taking the stack, a clear smile split across the man’s face. “I’d like that a lot, if you don’t mind. I’m Ryou Bakura, although feel free to call me Ryou. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” 

“Likewise!” Yugi beamed. “I’m Yugi. Yugi Muto. I hope we get along well. We’ll certainly be seeing each other often enough.” 

Ryou nodded amiably, turning and gently tucking his stack of papers into one of an assortment of binders that were stacked precariously on his desk. “I have a feeling we’ll get along just fine. Would you like some help carrying the remainder of your things in? The rest was delivered earlier.” He motioned to a neat stack of boxes on Yugi’s side of the room. 

Shaking his head in response, Yugi retrieved the handful of bags he’d been carrying from outside the door. “No need- I didn’t bring much else. It won’t take long for me to unpack, either, I think. If you haven’t eaten, we can go looking for one of the cafeterias when I’m done.” 

There was a quiet scrape as Ryou pulled a wooden chair out from his desk. “I’d enjoy that,” he replied, seating himself on the edge and deftly crossing his legs. “I’ll admit I’ve spent most of the evening unpacking, so I haven’t gotten the chance to eat yet.” As if corroborating his statement, his stomach rumbled and he laughed sheepishly, the corners of his eyes crinkling up. “My stomach seems to be unable to let me forget it.” 

Yugi was already beginning to unpack, hanging his clothes in the small closet on his side of the room. Most of his clothes were in shades of royal blue and black, sporting all manner of buckles and chains, and his collection of belts commanded its own hanger at one end. He poked his head back out at Ryou. 

“Why was that?” Yugi inquired, tucking one of his longer bangs behind his ear from where it’d fallen into his face. “Not to be nosy, but could it have to do with all of your notes? I was wondering why you have so many, since the semester hasn’t even begun.” 

Ryou’s mouth settled into a strained line before he summoned a wan smile, waving dismissively in the direction of his desk. “Ah, that?” He rubbed the back of his neck absentmindedly. “That’s my research. I’m here for Anthropology, and it was my theories on ancient Egypt’s shadow games and mysterious Millennium Items that earned me a scholarship here. Lately, though, it’s been giving me no shortage of headaches.”

Yugi nodded sagely from his side of the room, lining his boots up in the bottom of his closet. “That definitely sounds difficult. That said, I’m sure you’ll come up with a breakthrough soon enough, Ryou! Though, I’ve never really heard of those Millennium Items before. What are they?” 

“It’s hard to determine their exact function in ancient Egyptian society, but from my findings they seemed to be ceremonial objects used in a ritual called a shadow game.” Ryou turned his attention to his desk, opening one of its drawers and digging for something Yugi couldn’t see. “These items, supposedly holding great power and otherworldly abilities, were also rumored to allow users to summon dark creatures to be used in the ritual. So far, it’s been uncertain why these items were necessary, and many of them have also been lost.”

“Lost? What happened to them?” Yugi put down the blanket he’d been unfolding curiously. 

“While the location of several Items are known and safely in the hands of those committed to researching them, there are a select few that have passed out of the sight of scholarly circles.” Ryou began to unwrap a saucer sized parcel wrapped in thick brown paper. “My family has been in possession of one of the located Items, the Millennium Ring, for a couple of generations now, and I’ve only been building on the knowledge passed down to me.” 

There was a glint of gold underneath the twine and paper as it was pulled away, leaving an ornate gold pendant resting in Ryou’s palms almost innocently. He handled it gingerly, angling it so that it was easily visible. The pendant was a wadjet contained in a pyramid and larger ring, with smaller pendants dangling from it, and it glinted maliciously in the evening sun. Reflections of the failing light were cast off the Ring, illuminating the pair’s faces as they simply stared at the artifact for a long moment. 

“You can almost believe that it’s capable of all those terrible things if you look at it long enough,” Yugi finally commented, tearing his eyes away from the Millennium Ring to look at Ryou, who nodded and began to put it away once more.

“I try not to,” his drawn roommate admitted in response, smiling wistfully. “I haven’t gotten it to reveal any latent powers it supposedly has, but looking at it for too long fills me with an awful dread. I’ve gone and inherited this upsetting mystery, though, so I might as well solve it.” 

Yugi disliked the resigned expression Ryou was wearing, as if he was shackled down by some inescapable fate. It wasn’t his place to criticize him for it, though, since he’d only just met him. “I hope you find the answers you’re looking for.” 

Ryou chuckled. “I do as well.” 

They filled the silence after with small talk about their interests and preferences as Yugi unpacked a few more boxes. Ryou turned out to be avid tabletop enthusiast, although his taste was mostly limited to Dangerous Dungeons of Dragons, lovingly shortened to D&D&D. It appeared they also shared an interest in World of Toons although, a similar, more competitive tabletop game that had recently found its way into the spotlight, catapulting its creator, Pegasus, into the public consciousness. 

“Funny enough, it’s partly due to World of Toons that I’m here anyways,” Yugi remarked, working on unpacking his final box of belongings. “I always planned to go into designing games, but it wasn’t until I won the regional World of Toons championship here that I realized that my dream could be a reality. As the champ, I received a visit from Pegasus. He told me he’d watched my match, and offered me a scholarship after he found out how passionate I was about making games myself.”

“You sound conflicted about it,” Ryou observed. “Do you have reservations?”

Yugi paused for a beat. “I suppose you could say that. It just feels like there’s a whole lot of pressure for me to do well here. I don’t want to let anyone who’s believed in me this far down.” 

Lifting a hand to cover his mouth, Ryou held back a chuckle. “I doubt anyone will think you’re letting them down. Your skills were great enough to get you here, after all. Not to mention on the Dean’s personal recommendation.”

His short roommate nodded, pushing a stack of empty totes underneath his freshly made bed. “You’ve got a point, I have to admit. There’s no need to worry over it right now.” He took a moment, looking at his handiwork. “All of that aside, I think I’m all done here, so we can go eat. Are you ready to go?”

Ryou grinned, stretching languidly as he rose, grabbing his bag. “I thought you’d never ask.”

It took about an hour and a circuit of the campus, but the pair eventually managed to find a dining hall that was still open. It had a surprising abundance of options for a college cafeteria, but from what Yugi had heard of Pegasus, the Dean intended for everything on campus to fit to his standards, which were, to say, ridiculous. 

“This seems a tad on the ritzy side,” Ryou commented, serenely gazing down at the steak he’d ordered. He dug in immediately, with a sort of ferocity that Yugi hadn’t expected from the wisp of a man.

“Ritzy is quite an understatement ,” Yugi replied, taking a modest bite out of his hamburger. “I think I’d have a harder time figuring out what wasn’t on that menu.” 

Ryou dabbed at a bit of blood that had dripped down the side of his face while he’d been eating. “You have a fair enough point, although I suppose we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Even if that gift horse is eating caviar.” 

That earned a snicker from Yugi, stifled as he tried to swallow. “I can’t argue with that logic. It’d be hubris to ask for more than a horse eating caviar.” 

The pair finished eating their meal quickly since it was almost time for the dining hall to close, and they’d already gotten their fair share of dirty looks from the wait staff cleaning nearby. It had grown darker still while they’d been inside, and the lights lining the campus’s walkways had already flickered to life. 

The air was cool on Yugi’s face as he stepped out into the night, squaring his shoulders. He wished that he’d brought something other than his favorite jacket, which was unfortunately on the thinner side. His friend seemed to be not faring much better, since Ryou had also braced against the chill, holding his arms close to his chest. Might as well walk quick, then. 

Yugi started back the way they’d come at a brisk pace, consulting his phone in an attempt to calculate the shortest route back. Ryou had to almost trot to keep up, despite his longer legs, and it was at this pace that they started to make their way back. 

With his mind fully on navigation, it was a shock to Yugi when he collided into another person suddenly. It was with enough force to make him lose his balance and stumble, but Ryou was close enough behind him that the lanky man was able to put a hand out to steady Yugi. 

He’d have to thank him later, because the man that he’d bumped into looked absolutely infuriated. Not only that, he made Ryou look short in comparison, looming over the two as he gripped a cellphone in his hand. Had this tower of a person been in the middle of a phone call? A long moment passed before Yugi remembered that he could speak.

“Oh! Sorry! Are you alright? I didn’t see you there at all because I was trying to-“ He babbled incoherently, hardly leaving room to breath as he spoke. He was almost immediately cut off. 

“Are you going to get out of my way or are you going to continue staring at me with that lame look on your face?” The man sneered, dusting off his long coat as if it’d been soiled. The fringe of his bangs almost obscured his eyes, which were narrowed and unfriendly as he regarded them. 

“Imagine that. People don’t even know how to walk around here. So much for Pegasus’s extraordinary school. Ha!” His laugh was more of a rough bark, grating and ill-intentioned. “Might as well drop out and save myself the trouble.” 

Taken aback by the escalation, Yugi blanched, retreating a step. Ryou nudged him encouragingly, before giving the tall stranger a stern look and opening his mouth to reply. 

“Seto-“ A young voice complained from the phone in the man’s hand, and he immediately raised the phone back up to his ear, disregarding the pair. “Sorry Mokuba. Some dweeb ran into me, and I’m wondering if Pegasus even had entrance exams, by the looks of the student body. I’m still on my way home.” His tone was significantly less rough as he spoke to whoever was on the other end.

Some more inaudible chatter filtered out from the phone as this Mokuba continued where they’d left off, and the strange, stern man the voice had called Seto stood there and listened for a few moments, nodding intermittently. Ryou and Yugi exchanged a look of disbelief. Was this guy for real? 

“I’ll finish telling you about it later, Mokuba. I’m bringing the prototype with me, so I’ll show you when I get home. Do your homework for now, alright? I’ll reconsider if you get any answers wrong. See you soon.” He then mumbled something else and snapped his phone shut. 

Turning slightly, Seto examined them with a rather piercing look for a few seconds as if he was unsure why they hadn’t disappeared yet. “Please stay out of my way in the future.” He abruptly addressed Yugi again, his expression now indifferent. “I’m a very busy man, as you can clearly see.” With that, he stepped around them and continued on his way. 

Yugi clenched his fists, frowning. “That was so rude! I hope he doesn’t treat everyone he meets like that.” Ryou shrugged. “Best not to think about it. If I’m not mistaken, that was the Kaiba Corp. heir. I’ve heard rumors that he was going here...”

“I was hoping it was just a hoax,” Yugi sighed. “He’d be in my major, then.” 

The white haired man winced, patting him on the shoulder. “Ah. That’s unlucky. I’m sure you’ll manage, though. You’ll be the real king of the game design department.”

“Ryou, don’t tease me like that. What if I have to do group work with him?” He fretted, wringing his hands slightly. 

“There’s no reason to worry. Do you think a guy like that would risk his grades just to be an ass? He’ll be civil.” Ryou nudged Yugi into walking, still bracing himself against the cold. “Either way, you can worry about it back in the room if you want. It’s too chilly out here now to continue our chat. I wish summer could last forever.” 

“Not a fan of cold weather?” Yugi suggested, shuffling his feet at first before settling to match Ryou’s pace.

"What gave you that idea?” Came the man’s casual retort, his tone playful. “I’m anemic, and I spent most of my youth in a place much warmer than here. Sometimes the chill just settles in.” 

“Fair enough.” 

After getting lost again, the pair consulted Yugi’s phone together and managed to parse that they had somehow finally gotten back to the dorm complex. Their building was just a couple minutes walk away, past the courtyard they’d found themselves in a few times.

By the time Yugi hit his bed, the exhaustion he felt hit all at once and he fell asleep, being taken by the dizzying darkness in the corners of his vision. All of his worries were forgotten as he rested, recuperating from his busy first day on campus. He hadn’t even changed out of his day clothes, and somewhere beyond his dreamless sleep Ryou shook his head at him as he got ready for bed himself.


	2. PuyoPop’n

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A special thanks to my close friend and beta-reader Cieryuu, who this fic probably wouldn’t exist without! I also have to thank another one of my friends, who helped me with some of the Game Design major elements!

Yugi woke up long before his alarm, blankly gazing up at the unfamiliar ceiling above his head. His situation didn’t quite register to him until he sat up, slowly taking in his surroundings in the hazy morning light. 

On the other side of the room he could see where Ryou slept soundly, his face buried deep within his pillows and his hair mussed up at odd angles. The room around them was eerily neat, not yet truly lived in. Still, Yugi couldn’t help but break into a smile. He really was here, huh.

Leaning forward so he could peek out his window through the slats of the dorm-issued blinds, he squinted, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the more illuminated outside. There were a few scattered students making their way across the courtyard, but it was early enough that none of them seemed in a particular hurry. 

Turning, Yugi reached for his phone to check the time. Ah. He might as well go back to bed for another hour. Rolling over, he found himself still restless even after he’d shut his eyes for fifteen minutes. His thoughts were just too busy to settle again now that he was awake.

He sat back up and swung his legs over the side of his bed, softly landing on the ground with a thump. Ryou didn’t stir. Yugi glanced his way and then stretched, giving a muffled yawn. He wished suddenly he had a puzzle, one like the thousand piece jigsaw puzzles that he’d enjoyed solving when he was younger. 

He’d moved on to various tabletops and video games since, but every once in a while he’d still end up with some jigsaw puzzle sprawled across his desk back at home. There was something just so deeply meditative about solving a puzzle; a sense of knowing that every piece had a place where it belonged, a place where it was destined to be. He only had to prod and experiment at the placement and inevitably a solution would come to him.

Fetching his handheld from his backpack, Yugi decided that he would settle for a video game this morning. Plugging in his earbuds and climbing back into bed, he booted up Blazing Crest, hoping that a chess-like turn based rpg would suffice. At the very least, since he was playing on Maddening mode, it was sure to distract him for a while. 

He started managing his items and the units in his army absentmindedly. The battle that he was facing seemed to be one of the early turning points in the game, so he was sure it was going to be difficult. _Now, who to send into battle?_

Firstly, he chose his mages, who he’d favored through most of his playthrough. He’d just recruited a new mage that had black magic, and he was excited for the extra firepower. He would just have to level him up on some of the lower-leveled enemies on the map to make up for his deficit, and pair him up with one of the stronger units.

Adjusting to provide some balance, he added some cavalry, archers, and a wyvern rider, as well as a couple sword users. The party makeup seemed about right, although he gave his lineup one final run through, switching out some of the characters again. There wasn’t enough time before he had to start getting ready for this fight to be drawn out too long. 

Yugi initiated the battle, forgetting about his earlier woes almost instantly. There were just too many stats involved for him to be concerned about anything else. The battle, as well as his time, went by just as quickly, and before he noticed that much time had actually passed, his phone’s alarm started going off. 

He fumbled to shut it off, dismissing the alarm with a sigh. The battle wasn’t even halfway done. Yugi supposed he’d have to just quicksave and finish when he had a moment. A long moment, preferably.

As he unplugged his earbuds and started to get out of bed, he heard a yawn from Ryou’s side of the room. The white-haired man was now sitting upright, rubbing his eyes groggily. 

“Good morning, Ryou,” he said brightly, putting his handheld console away. 

“Guh’morning,” His roommate mumbled in reply, his eyes barely open.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as Yugi grabbed his shower supplies and his change of clothes. It was as he was finally putting on his flip flops to leave that Ryou spoke again. 

“What time is it?” He seemed more awake now, stretching his arms nonchalantly. 

“It’s eight. I have class in an hour.” Yugi grabbed his towel from the rack by the door. “I’m gonna go take a quick shower before I have to go find where it is.”

Ryou nodded, starting to get out of bed himself. “I might as well rise myself, then. I was hoping to go get coffee before my class.” He yawned again as he lowered himself from his bed, shuffling over to his closet as Yugi turned to leave. 

By the time he returned from the showers, Ryou had already gotten dressed and was busy brushing out the snarls from his hair in front of the room’s mirror, which was located in the space between their closets. He scooted over, making room for Yugi, whose hair was damp and unstyled, coming down to about his shoulders.

The short goth smiled appreciatively, before grabbing his blow dryer and hair gel. While they got ready, Yugi told Ryou about the plot of the game he’d been playing that morning, and when Ryou returned from a quick detour to go brush his teeth, he told Yugi about a rpg he had completed recently. 

Ryou ended up leaving first, bowing out while Yugi was doing his eyeliner, so he was the last to leave the room, locking the door behind him. Slipping the strap of his backpack over his shoulder, he started to make his way towards class. 

He’d left with some time to spare, but campus still felt a bit alien to him, so he was almost late to his first class of the day, which happened to be history. The class took place in a lecture hall, and since he didn’t particularly recognize anyone, he ended up sitting near the front. 

The lecture was unremarkable, simply going over the syllabus and what materials they were expected to get. Yugi found himself doodling aimlessly in the margins of his notebook, wishing he’d had the foresight to bring his sketchbook. 

Lately, one of his favorite things to draw was a cute, fluffy mascot sort of creature that he didn’t have a name for. Many of the little creatures swarmed his scattered notes, as well as other sorts of creatures as well. He added a small tamer mage to manage them, and by the time he was done, most of the students had already cleared out, the lesson concluded.

Yugi glanced at his phone. He still had plenty of time before class, but it wouldn’t hurt to go scout it out, especially with how long it took to get to this one. Pulling up his schedule, he grinned. Game Design and Development I was his next class, which meant he was going to be able to see the Tech Spire.

While all of the facilities on campus were state of the art, the Tech Spire was the crowning jewel of the university, standing taller than even any of the buildings in the surrounding city. While the lower floors of the skyscraper were dedicated to classrooms that housed most of the science and technology majors, higher up there were also labs and administrative offices, with Pegasus’s office residing at the very top. Above that, even, there was apparently an observation deck, which he’d seen in one of the pamphlets he’d gotten at summer orientation. 

Even if he wasn’t going all the way up, it was still exciting to have class in such an important building, let alone his first class for his major. He gathered his things and headed out, stopping quickly to grab a breakfast sandwich from one of the cafeterias, and unwrapping the the foil to eat it on the way.

Yugi still had time to spare, so he didn’t rush as he approached the Spire. Despite its name, the shape of the building resembled more of an obelisk than a spire, with a its mirror-like tinted glass panes glinting as the sun climbed higher in the sky. The plaza that surrounded it was large and circular, and as Yugi headed around the edge towards the entrance, he found that the shadow stretched off perpendicularly. The Spire must also function as a sundial, then, he realized, his interest slightly piqued. 

He wasn’t intrigued enough for it to stay on his mind for more than a couple moments more, though, his thoughts flickering to his class as he slipped into the queue that was currently filing into the Tech Spire. Peering at his phone again, he searched for what room his lecture would be taking place. _1127..._ That would put his classroom on the eleventh floor. 

Once Yugi trickled through the doors with the rest of the queue, he made his way towards the elevators. Here, too, there was a small crowd of people queuing, this time to go up. He sighed. So much for all of that extra time he thought he’d have to inspect the building more. 

Frowning slightly, he put up with the wait by playing PuyoPop’n on his phone. He found himself drifting towards the front of the line, but he was a little too absorbed with the matching puzzle-based rhythm game to care. Jostled suddenly as the queue moved to fill the elevator, he stumbled and righted himself, squaring his shoulders self-consciously. Yugi made a beeline for the corner of the elevator after he sheepishly ducked over to press the button for his floor.

The stumble had spooked him, but the lack of a response from anyone in the elevator eased Yugi enough to return to his game after a moment, putting his earbud back in. Unpausing, he started to set up for a chain of the colored pudding-orbs, keeping to the beat of the upbeat song as his player character, a gothic apprentice witch, danced and attacked an enemy to the beat. 

The color of pudding-orb he’d been waiting for spawned, and he sent it crashing towards his stacked orbs, setting of a chain reaction, the combo meter climbing into the double digits. With the enemy character having no more HP, the song moved into the bonus mode, dropping pudding-orbs at increasing speeds until Yugi finally dropped to zero HP as well. 

A quiet whistle came from above Yugi’s shoulder, and he glanced up, making eye contact with a willowy, lean man a few heads taller than him. The man had long, black hair with uneven bangs held haphazardly out of his eyes with a bandana, the rest pulled into a high ponytail in the back. He leaned nonchalantly on the side of the elevator as he peered down at Yugi’s phone, grinning.

“That was quite a combo you pulled off,” he remarked idly, “I was wondering why you were stacking them that way, but it ended up working out out for the best. What game is that?”

“Th-thank you,” Yugi replied, a little taken aback that someone had been watching him play. He wasn’t about to turn down talking about a game, though. “It’s called PuyoPop’n! You have to stack the orbs to the beat. I was saving my chain for the KO, and they have an odd way of dropping down once you start the chain, so I had to be careful.” 

Gliding into place, the elevator paused on one of the lower floors, and a few students exited the elevator, others filtering on to take their spots. Once more, the doors closed. The odd man shifted, crossing his feet at the ankles as he continued to lean against the wall, now facing Yugi. 

“A rhythm puzzle game,” he mused, hand on his chin, “That’s novel. It looks like it can be played PVP as well, too. Competitive matches must be wild.” 

Yugi nodded, still rather dumbfounded. “They are.” He paused a beat, weighing the man’s words. “Are.... Are you a Game Design major as well?” 

The man stared at him blankly for a second, before something seemed to click, and he laughed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I’m in Game Design. In my excitement, I totally forgot to introduce myself. Ryugi Otogi’s the name, but feel free to call me Duke. I have a bit of a brand to uphold.” 

Duke ran a hand through his bangs, his expression once more nonchalant. “Anyways, I saw you win the regional championship for World of Toons. It really sent a shockwave through the competitive scene. A complete no-name, taking the grand prize at their first championship? You’re a bit of a living legend, Yugi Muto. Not an easy face to forget.”

“I suppose I don’t have to introduce myself, then,” Yugi chuckled nervously, “I was just as surprised as everyone else when I won, if I’m honest. I never expected to become a celebrity, either. I just love to play all sorts of games, whether tabletop or other. Do you play World of Toons, then?”

“That and others. I keep on top of what games are currently popular,” Duke informed him. “My dad runs a chain of game stores, and I plan to upkeep the family business. I want to make the next big game, and finally make a name for Black Clown. I would’ve been in that tournament if I hadn’t been out of town for the first two days managing one of the newer branches.”

The elevator finally stopped at the eleventh floor, the doors opening with a small chime. Duke and Yugi were the only ones left, the rest having left on lower floors.

“Are you also going to Game Design and Development?” Yugi asked, moving forward to make sure the doors didn’t close on them.

Duke nodded, following him out of the elevator. “I’m sure we’ll have more than that together at this rate. There aren’t a lot of people in our major; I’m sure you saw the low acceptance rate. I’d have to say there’s going to be a few big names in our class, so at least you won’t be the only celebrity.” 

They wandered the halls for a time before they finally located their classroom, and by the time they’d gotten there it was unspoken that they’d end up sitting next to each other. The pair weren’t the only ones that’d had the idea of scoping out the class, though, because the room was already halfway full when they arrived, despite the absence of the professor. 

Yugi sat near the front, with Duke taking the seat next to him and leaning back with his arms folded behind his head. Most of the class was staring at them, but Duke seemed to pay it no mind. In fact, Yugi was almost sure that he was enjoying it. 

Surprisingly, not many people in his small class stood out to him. That stuck-up corporate heir wasn’t here yet, and most others in this class seemed to be keeping to themselves. Maybe there would be some semblance of peace in Yugi’s classes.

That wish was shattered instantly the second that Weevil Underwood walked in, with Rex Raptor following close at his heels. Yugi had faced off against both of them in the championship, and both had taken it upon themselves to declare Yugi their rival. He grimaced.

Upon seeing Yugi, Weevil headed straight for him, just like he’d feared he would. Weevil was only a few centimeters taller than Yugi, give or take, but his presence made him almost seem twice that. Rex seemed more likely to be his shadow next to the scowling runner-up, wearing a laid-back grin that was only a little murderous. Great.

“Yugi Muto!” Weevil declared loudly, hands on his hips. “Do not think my Great Toon Moth and Toon Mantis will suffer a defeat at your hands a second time. I will reclaim my rightful place as the Toon King come next tournament!” 

“You better watch out for me and Toonasaurus Rex as well,” Rex added, “Your Toon Mage is totally toast.” 

Yugi summoned a smile, trying not to be rude in return. “I’m sure that whenever we fight next will definitely be a close battle. I don’t intend to lose, though.” 

“Your win was nothing more than a fluke, Muto,” Weevil sneered in reply. “Something as weak as an intention won’t save you.”

“Yeah, you’ll be little more than a joke when we’re done with you,” came Rex’s echo. 

Frowning, Yugi weighed if he should rise to the provocation, but he wasn’t given the chance as a small projectile smacked into the side of Weevil’s head with a satisfying thwap. The pastel-haired man yelped, raising a hand to the side of his face and swinging to face the direction it came from, fuming.

Duke gave him a small wave, still leaning back in his seat. In his other hand, he cradled some dice, as if testing them. “Big words coming from someone who can’t even cinch the World Championship from me,” he grinned, “You know I don’t always bother to play the Regionals, Weevil, and you go around calling youself the Toon King? Don’t make me laugh.” 

“Y-You’re here?!” Weevil sputtered, his act deflating, “I thought you’d skipped town for good this time, since you missed Pegasus’s first public appearance since the launch of World of Toons. S-Some Toon King you are.”

“You must’ve been scared that you’d lose your undefeated status to one of us and bailed, if you ask me,” Rex quipped. 

“As if,” Duke chuckled, “I saw your matches against Yugi. You still haven’t taken any of my advice, so it’s on you that you lost. Either way, I’m not here to argue over children’s tabletop games, and especially not with a second-rate sore loser. It’s almost class time, so you should walk off while you still have a semblance of pride.” 

With little else to retort with, Weevil grumbled a barbed goodbye and took his leave, with a incensed Rex in tow. The pair picked a seat on the opposite side of the room from where Yugi and Duke were, where they proceeded to give them scathing glares. Yugi withered slightly, sighing with relief that the encounter was finally finished.

“Thank you for stepping in,” Yugi said, glancing at Duke, “I didn’t realize you were the world champ, though. Overall, I’m still pretty new to World of Toons. Why didn’t you mention it earlier?” 

“No reason,” he admitted, winking, “I was just wondering how long it would take you to notice. It’s not every day that someone doesn’t recognize the Devilish Duke of Toons, 3-time reigning world champion. Those two seemed to be to absorbed in antagonizing you to notice me either, so it’s quite a day indeed.”

The conversation ended abruptly as the sound of argument started to filter from the other side of the door. Yugi recognized one of the voices as the man he’d met the night before, but the other was unfamiliar to him. 

“-For that alone, I should kick you out of this class and expel-“ a furious voice exclaimed as the sound of footsteps grew louder.

“-As if Pegasus would allow that. Face it—this school needs me-“ was the curt reply from Seto, his volume raising to meet the other’s. 

“—was the case, Pegasus would have made you the professor, not me-“ came another snippet. The voices were growing louder.

“—a profession for those who’ve already surpassed their peak. Unlike you, _I_ still have potential. Get out of my way, and let’s get this class over with, Schroeder. Unless you really intend to mire your company’s reputation more by getting yourself fired.” 

The door was thrown open suddenly, swinging unhindered until it hit the wall with a bang. Any chatter had already faded out, so there was only silence as Seto stepped in, his expression cool and devoid of the rage that’d been so present in his voice. His gaze raked the class, lingering momentarily on where Yugi and Duke sat, before he headed to the opposite side of the room, seating himself in the back away from any other students.

Another few tense moments passed before the other participant of the argument made his appearance, stiffly walking across the front of the room to where the classroom’s computer sat on a podium. His smooth, lengthy hair was a pale mauve, and a single rose accented his well-tailored violet suit. 

“Now, that’s a trustbuster waiting to happen,” Duke said lowly, leaning over to Yugi. “Him and Kaiba are heirs to rival companies. What was Pegasus thinking...?” He attempted a quiet whistle of awe, only to receive a fierce glare from the man. 

The young professor began to write his name, Ziegfried von Schroeder, on the board in large, flowery script. Underneath, he also wrote the date and course number, before retreating back to the computer to start up the presentation. 

The class proceeded rather quickly, as Professor Schroeder seemed to be intent on escaping the scrutiny of both Kaiba and the class. He skimmed over all of the important topics in the syllabus, before erasing his name once more and ducking out, the footsteps of his heeled boots quickly receding. 

The class broke into chaos as most of the students tried to leave at once, leaving Yugi and Duke idling at the edge of the crowd, with Seto a few paces behind them. 

“ _Pathetic_ ,” Seto spat to no one in particular.

Yugi grimaced. If this was how class was going to be, maybe he should consider transferring. This was a circus, not education. He’d give it the week, at least; he had a full ride here. It wasn’t as if he had anything to lose from sticking it out for a while. 

And who knew? Perhaps it’d all turn out and he’d finally get to make some games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This would’ve been up about a week earlier, however life had different plans for me. Nothing scary, only the sudden appearance of a stray babyish cat who is now named Mokuba! He’s a lucky lil guy who can get into anything and cost me a bit of sleep, but I love him a lot so it’s alright. 
> 
> If you haven’t noticed yet, each chapter will have some sort of parody game title, since i really enjoyed the episodic games feel of the og manga! This chapter’s titular game, PuyoPop’n, takes inspiration from PuyoPuyo and Pop’n Music. I love it when rhythm games mix with other genres (for example, the arcade racer rhythm game Sayonara Wild Hearts), so the idea of it being incorporated into a matching puzzle game was too good to pass up for me, especially with how well their art styles compliment each other.
> 
> The next chapter is going to probably end up a bit longer than these first two, since it will mark the end of the prologue/exposition. Or at least, it should. I promise Atem will show up soon enough, I’m excited to write for him!


	3. Blazing Crest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks once more to my wonderful beta-reader Cieryuu, and as well as those in YGO Collab Server—esp. Cleo, Life, Froot, Dr. Pants, Alecto, nd Seiyo! I struggled a lot to finish this chapter, but you all encouraged me to keep going!

This morning, when Yugi woke, it was actually with his alarm. With a yawn, he lumbered out of bed, and went about his daily routine. Ryou wasn’t far behind. 

“Yugi,” Ryou said, turning to look at him as he returned from the showers, “I think you have a package down at the main desk.”

“Huh,” said Yugi, pulling his boots on at his desk, “Why’s that?” 

“I checked our mailbox downstairs on my way back, since I’m waiting on correspondence about a potential new dig site. There was a package slip with your name on it. Did you order anything?” Ryou shook out his damp hair, and reached into his pocket to hand him the slip. 

“Not that I know of,” Yugi admitted, his brows knitting together. He took it from Ryou, perplexed, and turned it over, looking for any sign of who it could be from. 

Finding no such clue, he hummed curiously, and pocketed it. “I’ll take a look at the office on my way out, though. Thank you!” 

“It was no problem,” Ryou smiled, turning to brush his hair, and as he did, Yugi caught a small golden glimmer out of the corner of his eye, followed by the soft jingle of metal colliding with itself. That could only be one thing.

He considered briefly if he should hold off from prying about it, but after what he’d heard from Ryou before about the Ring, he couldn’t quite help himself. A mystery was just a puzzle that reality itself presented, anyways.

“Is that the Millennium Ring you’re wearing?” he asked, trying to keep the curiosity out of his tone. “I thought you didn’t like looking at it.” 

“I don’t.” Ryou didn’t try to hide the quiet dismay in his voice, still facing away from Yugi. He pulled his brush through his hair sullenly for a few moments, and Yugi cursed himself for being so tactless.

“However,” Ryou continued, brightening slightly when Yugi caught his gaze in the mirror, “If it would give me leads, I’d stare at the Ring all day. Luckily, I’m just going to be wearing it, so it’ll be fine. It’s just for research.” 

“What kind of research involves wearing it?” Yugi inquired, joining him at the mirror to start applying his eyeliner.

“Simply put, it’s to test whether or not the Millennium Items detect ownership,” explained Ryou, idly worrying at the hem of the baggy cable-knit sweater he was wearing, which was a pale, misty blue. “I met with the other Item-holders on campus, and we had a consensus on what direction we should go with our research for now.” 

“At first, we considered trying to figure out a way to mimic the rituals of a Shadow Game, but we quickly ruled that out as too dangerous, since we don’t know what powers the Items hold, if they even are functional, or ever were.” He laughed dryly, rubbing at his eyes with a tired fist. “It made me feel a little better to know that I’m wasn’t the only one who felt that they were grasping around in the dark.” 

“In the end, we ended up going with the Necklace holder, Ishizu’s idea, since she recently came into possession of a possibly religious text that mentions the Items serving masters of their own choosing. We couldn’t all agree on what exactly that meant, since I’m paraphrasing from the original anyways, and decided the least we could do was to mimic ownership. Wear the Items if possible, keep them on our person, rather than...” He trailed off.

Ryou sighed, giving Yugi a helpless smile as he met his worried gaze. “Well, keeping them all hidden away in our various desks, like I did.” 

Mulling it over, Yugi nodded in acknowledgment. There wasn’t an easy response to this. 

“You’re very brave to be going through with it, even though you’re scared,” he said finally, after some consideration. “It takes a lot to acknowledge your fear, and then work towards conquering it.”

“But—“ Yugi continued, “It’s less important than your health, so don’t push yourself too hard, ok?”

Ryou studied him for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Yugi noticed that the pale gray of the anthropology major’s eyes had more of a subtle lavender cast when the light hit them. 

Soon, Ryou’s expression faded into a soft smile. “Of course. Thank you, Yugi.” 

“There’s no need to thank me,” Yugi deflected, his face heating up, “That’s what friends are for.” 

The smile Ryou wore widened, his eyes crinkling at the edges, before he turned, rummaging through his drawers for a spool of magenta thread, which he promptly cut a line of string from. This he tied around his pointer finger in a tiny, neat bow, joining a cyan and purple pair that covered his middle and ring fingers. 

Catching Yugi peeking over his shoulder, he waved his hand brightly. “Do you like them? I have a bad memory, so I give myself small reminders by knotting string around my fingers. I know there’s better ways to do it, but it’s the only thing that’s ever really stuck.” 

“The other two are just today’s errands, but I’ll keep this magenta one on for a while,” Ryou added, “So I don’t forget what you said. I can’t let my worries get the best of me, otherwise I’ll never solve anything.”

Nodding, Yugi checked his phone, and blanched instantly. It was about time to head out if he wanted to locate today’s first class in time. 

“Sorry, Ryou, but I’ve got to run,” he said, turning back to grab his jacket and bag, “I’ll see you after classes, probably. We can grab dinner, if you want.”

Ryou nodded, returning the spool and scissors to his desk. “I’d love to. I think Activities Night is tonight, though. Are you going to go check out any clubs?” 

“Of course,” replied Yugi, shifting from foot to foot as he lingered halfway out the door. “I’m sure it won’t take too long, though. See you later!” Ryou’s subsequent goodbye echoed brightly down the hall as Yugi left.

On his way down to the RA office, he caught a look at himself in one of the full length mirrors that resided on the landings of the stairwell. 

Like usual, he was wearing his favorite jacket, a thin dark navy affair with silver buckles, although today it was underneath a band hoodie that he’d customized with patches and pins past recognition. His pants, which were tucked into his combat boots, sported their own fair share of straps and buckles, and altogether he supposed his outfit was goth enough to be seen in.

It was his first true chance to dress how he liked, since he wasn’t around any of the people who’d seen him grow up; who’d seen all of his initial, awkward botched attempts at dying his hair, and the braces he’d had to wear before then, and the—

—He shook his head. Yugi had promised himself that he wouldn’t think like that anymore, back when he started applying to tournaments. Standing on his own two feet was something that he desperately wanted; he’d always depended on Anzu to drive away any would-be bullies, so competing in tournaments had been his first step towards becoming a little less withdrawn than he’d been as a child. He’d never expected he’d be good at it.

Glancing at himself in the mirror one last time, he cracked a tiny smile at his reflection. He’d be fine; if he wasn’t, he’d keep trying until he was. Hefting his messenger bag higher on his shoulder, he continued on his way.

Luckily enough, there was a resident assistant, or RA, on duty down in the dorm’s office when he arrived on the first floor. Yugi signed the slip and handed it over to the RA, making empty small talk about his classes as they inquired about them. 

The package that was handed to him was rather unassuming, turning out to be a plain cardboard box about the size of a small gaming console. It had a little weight to it, but it was too light to be a console, and when Yugi tilted it to read the return address, there was an odd, familiar clinking from within as its contents shifted.

Disregarding it for the moment, he instead continued to stare at the label, having picked out the name “Sugoroku Muto” from the rest of the text. _Grandpa...?_

His grandfather hadn’t told him that he’d be sending him anything as far as he remembered, so Yugi wasn’t quite sure what he could have wanted to send him.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the spare time to investigate any further, so he slipped the package into his bag, making a mental note to open it later. Maybe it would be his spare set of dice.

His first class this morning, Game Development and Algebra I, was once again in the Tech Spire, this time in a computer lab on the eighth floor. Duke had been waiting for him near the elevators, and the pair chatted about their respective World of Toons teams on their way up. 

The game was played on a 20x20 board, with each player bringing half of the World-board as their home-field advantage, where they could strategically hide traps and Toons to protect the Treasure that also resided on their side of the field. The goal was to either successfully retrieve your opponent’s Treasure and bring it back to your side of the field, or destroy all of their Toons.

Each player could control up to five Toons at once, with one of them starting the match revealed as the player’s Navigator. If their Navigator was destroyed, the player could then reveal another one of their hidden Toons to take over the role and continue. 

Yugi never started with his ace Toon, the Toon Mage, as his Navigator. Instead, he chooses to rely on his Toon Adventurer and it’s special movement effect to uncover his opponent’s strategy before switching to one of his other Toons. He considered each one a boss monster in its own right, despite being a mostly defensive and infiltrative party.

Meanwhile, from what Yugi had heard from him, Duke had a party built on constant Toon Clown Knight reinforcements and devastating traps set on his Carnival World-board. The number of clown-type Toons on field also added to his ace, Toon Infernal Ringmaster’s strength. 

_No wonder why he’s the Toon King with a party like that,_ Yugi thought to himself as they walked into the computer lab. They still had a few minutes to spare, since they’d been lucky enough to grab an elevator quickly, so they were in no particular rush as they picked out their seats. 

This class’s professor seemed to be here already, by the looks of the name “Dr. Daitokuji” having already been written in neat print on the whiteboard, in the top left corner. The name’s owner idled by the computer at the front of the room, head in a textbook that was overwhelmed by bookmark sticky notes and holding a dry erase marker loosely in one hand. 

Next to him, a well-sized and rather rotund tabby tom batted at the marker, trying to knock it from the gray-haired man’s grip. The cat, twitching its whiskers indignantly, shifted on its haunches, before deciding that its new target was the man’s hand itself and pouncing. 

“Ah—Ow, ow—Pharaoh-“ Dr. Daitokuji yelped, retracting his hand. Pharaoh mewed innocently, before plodding a few steps towards the edge of the table to curl up, tucking his paws under himself. The gaunt professor only shook his head, returning to his work.

“—and that’s why I—Yugi, are you listening?” Duke was looking at him, quirking an eyebrow.

Yugi blinked, tearing his eyes away from the cat to look at him. “Oh, yeah, Activities Night,” he said, somehow summoning the topic of their conversation despite his distraction. “Sorry, what were you saying?”

“I was saying that I’ll be off campus on family business during Activities Night, so I was wondering if you could drop by one of the club tables for me to get info,” Duke repeated, leaning back in his chair perilously, “You’re going anyways, right?” 

Watching nervously as Duke’s chair wobbled, Yugi nodded. “I want to join some sort of gaming club, preferably.” 

“Then I have the perfect club for you,” he asserted, leaning forward and bringing his chair back on all four legs with a _thunk_. “Look no further than the Game Design and Research Club. It’s got a hefty name, but I doubt they do much more than play a different game each week.”

“I haven’t even mentioned the real kicker, either,” Duke added, steepling his fingers together over his keyboard, “The previous King of Toons is the Club president, too.”

“The previous King of Toons...?” Yugi echoed curiously.

“Geez, Yugi, you really did come in knowing nothing about the competitive World of Toons scene, huh?” Duke replied with no bite, shrugging his shoulders. “Worry not, though because as the current King of Toons, I can tell you everything you could ever want to know.”

Opening the browser on the computer before him, he quickly searched a term and brought up an image on his screen, which he then turned in Yugi’s direction. The image, seemingly at least a few years old, depicted a sandy blonde-haired woman clutching a trophy shaped like a pop-up storybook castle, beaming like she was the cat who ate the canary. One of her perfectly manicured hands flashed a peace sign at the camera, arm extended. 

“Mai Kujaku, first reigning King of Toons,” Duke informed him, “Was a standout competitor from the launch of World of Toons six years ago, winning every match she fought in. Her undefeated Toon Harpy strategy wasn’t her only merit; she knew how to pull a victory from defeat, and always kept her opponents guessing. Watching her matches actually inspired me to pick it up myself, rather than just keeping an eye on the stocks.”

“Were you rivals, then?” Yugi asked.

Duke shook his head. “No,” he admitted, his tone turned bitter, “I never was able play a single match against her. Mai retired after her third championship year with no explanation, the year before I began. I always hoped that she’d return to the scene so I could beat her and cement myself as the true King of Toons, since we’re both undefeated. People compare us enough as it, since I never had to confront her for the title.” 

“She didn’t return to the scene at all? Even though she was the champ? That’s odd.” Yugi observed.

Blinking, Duke laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, she hasn’t made a championship appearance since. I heard a rumor that she also got picked up for this college when it opened, a few years ago, but I don’t think she’s in our major despite it. I only actually found out she was in the club by chance.”

He handed Yugi a flyer, which had the club’s name in large font across the top, and some information about it and the date of Activities Night. Also included in the design was an image from what he assumed was one of the club’s events, showing a small group crowded around a table scattered with cards. None of the faces were recognizable, save one, since he’d just seen a picture of her moments before. 

Mai Kujaku stared up from the flyer, wearing the same grin she’d wore winning the championship, but instead, here, she simply was reclining with her arm around another woman with sleek black hair interlaced with gold, and had a large pile of poker chips piled on the table in front of her. Her hair seemed wilder in this shot, her posture confident and self-assured. 

Yugi looked back at Duke. “I wonder why she stopped, if she still likes games so much.” 

“That’s what I’d like to know,” Duke grumbled, habitually twisting a lock of his hair between his fingers, “It’d save me a whole lot of trouble. Either way, if you’d pick up club info for me later I’d really appreciate it.”

Nodding dumbly, Yugi laughed. “Of course! You’re quite persuasive, you know; you’ve got me interested now, too. If you give me your number, I can text you the info as well.”

Duke pulled out his phone, and the pair was just finishing exchanging numbers when Dr. Daitokuji finally spoke up from the front of the classroom. 

“Sorry for the delay, class,” he said, raising his voice over the moderate clamor, “We can start now. I put copies of the syllabus at the end of each row of computers, if you’ll take one and pass them along, please.” Pharaoh mewed as if affirming the statement, and Daitokuji glanced down at him momentarily. 

“I’m Dr. Daitokuji, and this is my faithful assistant, Pharaoh,” he said, picking the tabby up gently, “Primarily, I am an alchemist, but if nothing else, coding itself is nothing but a compilation of formulas. Learn the rules of a medium, and you can also learn to break them. Making a code work is a delicate balance of these two ideas. We’ll begin by revisiting, briefly, the basics, before assigning groups for projects, since creating a game, whether physical or digital, is very rarely a solo endeavor.” 

Yugi gradually spaced out, since he’d heard a very similar spiel from Professor Schroeder the day before. He’d be assigned a group for both classes, and work on projects over the course of a few weeks with peers. The assigned groups would carry over for both classes as well, so whoever he was saddled with, it would exhaustively be for the entire semester. 

Hopefully it was with Duke, and not Seto, he prayed. He was sure that he could even put up with Weevil or Rex if he had to, given that he didn’t somehow get put in a group with both of them. Yugi shuddered. Actually, he’d rather deal with one Seto rather than be trapped with those two. 

The class proceeded smoothly, and Yugi idly daydreamed for a time, wondering what sort of games he’d get to play in that club. Besides being interested to meet the mysterious former King of Toons, he was genuinely interested in playing games with others every week. Playing with others was truly the most enjoyable way to play games, at least in his experience. Maybe he’d make more friends, too.

A small pang went through his chest as he remembered all the hours he’d spent playing games with Anzu back in his hometown. He missed her. He’d have to text her later, if he had the time.

“Finally, that brings us to our assigned groups—“ Dr. Daitokuji was saying, changing the slide, “Please make sure to exchange contact information with your group members before next class, as we will set up your accounts to share files with each other and have our first in-class demo. As such-” 

The rest of the professor’s words as he wrapped up were lost on Yugi as he picked out his name on the slide, and paused, reading the two names written next to his.

_Ryugi Otogi._

It seemed there were small miracles in the world after all, he mused happily, as long as the other name wasn’t—

_Seto Kaiba._

Yugi cursed internally. He must have jinxed himself by wishing not to get Rex and Weevil so fervently. This was still, ultimately, preferable, but somewhere out there, the monkey’s paw had certainly curled its finger inward with a wicked sort of glee. 

He held back a sigh. There just wasn’t any helping it. At the very least, he was thankful that he’d been put in a group with Duke. Even if Seto turned out to be as much of an asshole as Yugi feared, he’d still have the majority rule with Duke if it came down to it. 

In any case, he should probably get the corporate heir’s contact info before he left class, since his peers were already starting to clear out. He glanced around, noticing that Duke had seemed to be of the same mind, as the slender man was also scanning for their third group member, to no avail.

After a long moment, Duke shook his head with resignation. “He definitely just ditched us.” 

Frowning deeply, Yugi gave one more cursory look around the computer lab. “I think you’re right.” He sighed. “You’d think that he’d be more polite, being the public face of a big company like the one he’s set to inherit and all. Isn’t it bad for publicity?” 

Duke shrugged, completely unphased as he began gathering his things together. “Hell if I know,” he replied, “But we’ll definitely catch him next time. It’s not like he can do an entire project on his own.”

Yugi couldn’t argue with that, so he pushed the matter from his mind for now, and instead prepared to leave as well. Duke didn’t have another class for a bit, either, so the pair grabbed lunch at one of the outdoor cafes in the area, near the edge of the moderately sized forest that separated the two halves of campus. 

It was an artificial forest, installed since the campus was located within the middle of the metropolitan area. Transplanted from local forests, the circular shaped park contained a mix of deciduous trees and conifers, as well as brush and other low shrubbery, all of which seemed to have adjusted just fine to their new home.

Why Pegasus had decided to add it to the campus was past Yugi’s comprehension, although it was refreshing to see it amidst all the technology he was surrounded by. The university’s pamphlets had boasted about the many walking trails that were scattered throughout, to give students the taste of nature without having to take an hour-long train ride outside of the city.

Still, he found himself staring off at it, across the small natural field that was a buffer between this side of campus and the woods. Unable to make out anything past the first row of trees, since little light made it through the thick canopy, he squinted at the deep shadows that pooled in the undergrowth.

An odd, insistent feeling tugged at his heart, pulled at him from beyond his sight. If he thought about anything else, it vanished like smoke in his fingertips, growing fainter the more he tried to conceptualize it. 

He blinked. The forest wasn’t that dark, now that he looked at it. The sun shifted through the canopy, illuminating the top layer of brush and casting dancing shadows. Yugi returned to eating his lunch.

Saying his goodbyes to Duke once they both finished, Yugi wandered towards his next class, enjoying the crisp fall weather. This class was his first art class and he was rather excited to get the chance to make art in an academic setting. 

He had chosen to have his minor be in Illustration, since he was enamored with the idea of becoming a character designer, one that focused on monster and creature creation. 

He’d always found enemy characters interesting in the games he played, from the itty-bitty tutorial foes, to the multi-health-bar boss monsters themselves. The balancing also interested him, to a certain degree. Either way, he was probably just going to be drawing still-life studies all semester, but he couldn’t say he minded that prospect terribly.

The art building was nestled near a large greenhouse and the campus’s classically-styled stone amphitheater. It was a several story building covered in large windows on one side, with the rest of the brick exterior overtaken by creeping ivy. Past it, he could almost glimpse the classes taking place in the windowed dance studios, although he couldn’t make out if any of them were Anzu. He turned, and headed inside.

Yugi’s classroom was on the first floor, in one of the rooms with large windows. The natural light poured in uninhibited and illuminated the row of easels and stools that surrounded a small pedestal covered in various wooden shapes. 

Still-life drawings it was, then. Yugi took a seat, noting that the class was almost full already. He lifted his newsprint pad onto his easel, setting his pencil box to the side, before glancing about himself, only to catch that his neighbor at the next easel was staring at him.

The man sitting next to him continued to scrutinize him for a long, uncomfortable moment, his pale lavender eyes not giving away any of what he was thinking. His warm brown features were delicate, and his off-white hair fell to about his shoulders. The many gold bangles he wore clinked as he shifted in his seat, leaning towards Yugi.

It  seemed  that whatever troubled his peer about him was only temporary, as the pretty man soon smiled brightly, just as Yugi finally gathered the courage to ask what was up.

“Can I help you?” Yugi blurted, trying not to sound as frazzled as he felt.

The man laughed a measured, quiet laugh, as if sharing a joke with himself rather than laughing at Yugi’s expense.

“My apologies—You looked terribly familiar, but I don’t think we’ve actually met before. It wasn’t my intention to be rude or frighten you.” He offered his hand. “I’m Marik. Forgive me, will you?”

With a sigh of relief, Yugi took the proffered hand, hoping that his own wasn’t too sweaty as they shook hands. Marik’s grip was firm, his hands thin and calloused. They didn’t seem to fit the obvious opulence in the gold jewelry he wore over his long-sleeved cropped hoodie. 

“It’s no problem,” Yugi smiled, although he felt a little like he was getting whiplash. “I’m Yugi. It’s nice to meet you, Marik.”

“Likewise. Are you an art major?” Marik leaned back idly, holding the edge of his stool with both hands so he wouldn’t lose his balance.

“No,” Yugi replied, “Although I’m minoring in Illustration. My major is Game Design, actually.” 

Marik’s face lit up. “Oh, so you’re up in the Tech Spire, then? What is it like up there? It’s super stuffy over in the history building.”

“You aren’t an art major either?” Yugi would have thought otherwise, by how rough Marik’s hands had been.

“I thought I was the one asking the questions,” Marik replied with mock indignation. “But, no, I’m not. I’m an Anthropology major. I’m in the same boat as you, actually, being an art minor. Although for me, it’s Ceramics, specifically.” That explained his hands, then.

“Anthropology?” Yugi thought instantly of Ryou. “That’s the same as my roommate, although I don’t know why the Anthropology department would be stuffy. Wasn’t the college only recently built?”

“Put enough old things in any building, and it’ll become musty and overbearing, no matter how high-tech tech one it is supposed to be. Whether it’s a museum, tomb, research lab, or whatever one wishes to call it, it’s all the same, really.” He laughed awkwardly, before regarding Yugi out of the corner of his eye.

“Who’s your roommate, anyways? There’s not many of us in the Anthro department,” added Marik, his curiosity only thinly veiled.

“It’s hard to argue with that,” Yugi conceded, unsure what else to say, “And my roommate is Ryou, uh... Bakura.” He managed to dredge up his memory of Ryou’s last name somehow.

“Ah, him. He seems like a kind person,” Marik nodded thoughtfully, “ Although  I haven’t worked with him long. Ryou’s in the same field of study as me.”

“The Millennium Items?” 

Marik stared at him like he had grown another head. “He told you about them?”

“I was interested in what he was studying; should he not have? It seems a well-documented field of study, especially if you’re going here for it.” Yugi asked, unsure if he’d just gotten Ryou in trouble.

“Ah, well, no, nothing like that,” Marik backpedaled, rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s just not often I meet someone that knows about them. Before the last decade, they were researched behind closed doors.” He seemed uncomfortable, suddenly.

This only served to make Yugi more curious, but he could tell that Marik wished to change the subject, and he was more than happy to indulge him if it would ease the tension in the air.

“What kind of ceramics are you interested in?” He asked, offering him a way out. 

The instant relief in Marik’s expression as he pulled out his phone was enough to convince Yugi that he’d made the right decision. 

Marik was proficient at both hand-building and wheel-throwing, but he had an obvious preference for the latter, by the look of the delicate vessels in the pictures he showed him. He also had completed some figural work, partially abstracted, but these pieces seemed heavier, weighed down by some unseen force, compared to the weightless nature of his porcelain works.

Afterwards, Marik thumbed through Yugi’s sketchbook briefly before they were interrupted by the start of class. Their teacher was a kindly older woman in a charcoal-stained apron, with curly, graying hair pulled into a messy bun. She ran through the syllabus efficiently, outlining the materials they’d need if they hadn’t already acquired them, and then set them up with quick gesture drawings of the still-life she’d set out. 

Yugi chatted with Marik in hushed tones when the professor was on the other side of the room, but otherwise, he focused on the task in front of him, dutifully trying to capture the volume of the objects in  front of him. He seemed to be doing something right, as the professor didn’t give him many suggestions, only initially correcting the way he held his charcoal as she passed. 

It was time to leave before he had time to notice that the two-hour studio class was passing that quickly. Marik finished cleaning up before Yugi did, and excused himself, as he said he had a meeting to get to. 

It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, so Yugi decided to head to the dorms, taking the bus that ran between the two halves of campus. He generally preferred walking, but he wanted to finish the Blazing Crest battle he’d started the previous morning, and figured that the less time he spent walking was more to finish the battle with, given he wouldn’t mournfully have to restart.

He’d just finished defeating the boss of the map when Ryou returned from his classes, dropping his bag unceremoniously near his desk and shambling towards his bed. Yugi set down his handheld, glancing over. 

“Ryou?” He ventured, watching as the anthropology major buried his face in his pillows.

A muffled, intelligible reply came from beneath Ryou, and Yugi frowned. “I didn’t catch that. Are you alright?” 

There was a small pause, and then Ryou lifted himself upright wearily, his complexion paler than normal. “Nothing of issue. I’m just tired. I spent a few hours in the library to see how extensive Pegasus’s collection on Egyptology here is, and it turned out to be quite extensive indeed.”

Ryou yawned, extending his arms above his head to stretch and causing the Millennium Ring to jingle as it moved with him. 

“I think I read a little too much. Did you know that among a pharaoh’s physicians, of which there were many specialists that focused on one type of medicine, there was the ‘neru pehut’, or ‘Shepherd of the Royal Anus’?” 

Yugi stared at him blankly. _“What?”_

“You see,” Ryou began, “According to the Greek historian Herodotus, enemas were one of the ways that—“ 

“No, no, I believe you,” Yugi interjected, holding his hands up, “You just seem out of it. Did you eat yet today?”

Ryou considered this question for a moment, before laughing sheepishly, his gaze averted. “I had coffee and a muffin this morning, but I lost track of time in between classes, and didn’t have lunch.” 

Shaking his head at him, Yugi saved his game and shut down his handheld. “Let’s get dinner, then. By then, Activities Night will be starting and we can head right over.” 

Ryou sighed. “Unfortunately, I can’t go to that, since I have to go submit my Day One observations for the experiment for the Items. It’s going to be awfully dull. Nothing has happened yet.”

“I can grab you some information for various clubs, then, if you’d like,” Yugi replied, “I’m already doing it for one of my classmates, so it’s no problem.” 

“Would you?” Ryou’s face lit up slightly. “I’m not sure what kind of club I was thinking of joining, so I’ll just look at whatever ones you’re interested in. We seem to have fairly similar tastes.” 

Pulling his boots back on, Yugi nodded. “Of course. I already have one in mind, but I’ll definitely look around some. We should still get dinner before you go to your meeting, though.”

Ryou didn’t need to be told twice, slipping his own boots on before Yugi managed to finish lacing his. _For a guy so easily motivated by food, he seems to forget about it quite often,_ he thought to himself, stifling a giggle. 

Their dinner was uneventful, the pair chatting aimlessly about their friends from home until it was time for Ryou to head off. 

When Yugi arrived at the building that Activities Night was being held at, there was already a steady stream of people entering, with a few exceptions weaving in the opposite direction. Inside, the large banquet hall was nearly filled to capacity, forming a wall-like crowd that intimidated him immensely. 

He was starting to regret offering to get information for both Duke and Ryou, but he couldn’t back out now. All he had to do was find the Game Design and Research Club’s table, and maybe grab info from another few along the way. If he was crushed to a fine pulp by the crowd, it was simply his time to go, he consoled himself. 

Taking a deep breath, he finally pushed his way into the crowd, his shoulders squared as he slowly found which way the flow of traffic moved within the sea of people. He hadn’t even realized that this many people went to UII, having only seen a fraction of the populace from his travels across campus.

It took him a considerable moment to figure out which way he should be heading. The signs were hard for Yugi to read, and in the midst of all the people, generally taller than him, he found himself near the middle of the crowd, struggling to see against the mass before him. Rather than nervous, he was starting to feel frustrated. 

Did there really need to be this many people in this space? Why hadn’t they moved it outside? This had to be just as grating on those running the tables. Fueled by a sort of adrenaline-fueled spite, he continued, before suddenly spotting the unmistakable, wavy blonde hair that he knew to be Mai’s a couple of aisles over. 

With a dedicated goal in sight, he pushed on with refreshed purpose, determined to get the information he needed and to get out of there. If he’d known that Seto Kaiba was going to walk up to the table at the same moment he did, Yugi might have left himself at the mercy of the crowd a little longer. 

Nonetheless, unaware of his wishes, the crowd had finally spit Yugi out at his objective, whether or not this meant he happened to bump elbows with the conglomerate heir as he edged his way to the table. 

He could see Mai handing out flyers to  passersby , perched on the table itself rather than sitting behind it. Although, it seemed she was mostly being ignored, despite the cheerful chatter she aimed at them as they passed.

Maybe if he ducked by over here, perhaps squeeze past over there—he could just sneak past without being noticed. Yugi was so close; there was an unattended pile of flyers sitting on the other side of the table, ones that would probably have the information he needed. If he was quick enough, he could just—

“Yugi Muto.” 

He’d already steeled himself to speak to Seto the next time they had class together, when he’d likely have Duke as backup, but this was far outside of anything he’d expected. This was in the wild, far from any mediating professor, and if any of his other encounters with the man were an indicator, he was in for an unpleasant time. 

Maybe he should consider bolting. Only the trouble that it’d taken to get this far, and the itching frustration that bubbled deep in his chest kept him rooted in spot. 

Yugi tried to ease his expression into anything but a grimace, and managed a strained smile. 

“Hello, Seto,” he replied, risking a glance upwards at him. 

Seto was regarding him with that same frigid, calculating gaze that he had fixed him with the first time they had met, as if he was silently measuring his worth—and finding him coming up short. 

“Who said we were on a first name basis?” The corporate heir asked flatly, flashing a sardonic smirk.

“It’s not much of a wonder that we should be,” Yugi replied tersely, feeling quite fed up with the situation he’d found himself in. He didn’t have to take this from him.

“We’re in a group with Ryuji Otogi for both of the classes for our major, unless you forgot? We’re _peers_.” He saw a quiet fury slowly creeping across Seto’s face, but shockingly, he didn’t care. More than anything, Yugi just wanted to get the flyer so he could go back to the dorms and away from all of these people.

“Shouldn’t we be on a first name basis, then, especially because we’ll be working on projects together?” Yugi continued, his voice kept painfully even, “It’d be easier, and even easier in general if you’d drop that condescending act you put on.”

“About that—I don’t need you, or that Dukish Dunce—or whatever his e-sports moniker is—butting in on my projects; I’m already arranging with Pegasus to get myself removed from your group.” There was no deception in Seto’s tone, only cold conviction. 

“I don’t need to be held back by two schmucks who got in this course because they were good at Pegasus’s pet game. It’s too bad you’ll have to find someone else to leech ideas off of.” 

Whatever vaguely polite response that Yugi had been planning was quickly scrapped, replaced with searing rage. He’d wanted to try to be civil to Seto, since he was serious about his major, and rocking the boat would only cause him more trouble in the end, but this guy was impossible to deal with. 

Maybe he’d have to contend with the ramifications of his group only being himself and Duke, but he didn’t see the point in sugarcoating what he said next.

“ _Leech ideas off of?_ Why would I want to leech anything you think of, if this is how you go about doing things?” His clenched fists were shaking, adrenaline making his pulse rattle in his ears. 

“We’d probably be better off working without you than trying to accommodate whatever self-inflated ideas that a spoiled rich jerk who thinks the world revolves around him like you’d come up with!”

_Oh, god, he was making a scene._ He was making a scene and it was in front of an entire crowd of people, and with a goddamn celebrity. Maybe bolting hadn’t been such a bad idea in the first place.

Before he could set his escape plan into motion or Seto could reply, both felt the firm, nearly painfully so, vice-like grip of Mai Kujaku on their respective arms. Her smile was calm—radiant, even—but what it radiated was a murderous energy that far outweighed his or Seto’s. 

“Now,” she began, her tone cloyingly sweet, “Is there a particular reason you lovely _freshmen_ are having an argument in front of my club’s table, scaring away all the other freshmen who are actually mature adults?”

Seto was briefly struck speechless by Mai’s boldness, before trying to wrench his arm away, to no avail, as she only tightened her grip more. Yugi wondered if he could melt into the ground and disappear if he thought about it hard enough.

“Don’t make me repeat myself, now, especially since it seemed you were both interested in this club,” Mai warned, “Because you both look more trouble than you’re worth.” 

“What are you going to do—kick us out before we’ve joined?” It seemed Seto had a death wish, by the way he was challenging her. “If you deny my entrance, you can be sure that there will be conse—“

Mai interrupted him with a short laugh. “Don’t test me, you rich brat—I know damn well who you are. Having a lot of money isn’t going to get you unbanned from club if I go through the Student Association and show them this altercation, which my lovely vice president and treasurer was kind enough to videotape for us. Even if you actually are Pegasus’s favorite, like you think, he’s not going to let it slide if it becomes a large enough controversy.”

Peeking around Mai, Yugi glimpsed the black-haired woman he’d seen with Mai in the picture from the original Club flyers, although she was now wearing a thin and elegant pair of glasses. She was quite obviously filming them with her cellphone, and he wondered how he hadn’t noticed her before now. 

Around her neck, there was a small, golden necklace, but he couldn’t be sure of its design from this distance. It almost seemed normal, at this point, with how much golden jewelry he’d seen around campus.

They made eye-contact, and she smiled, a small smile that was concurrently encouraging, and as if she knew something he didn’t. There was no malice in the action; at least, he thought so. 

Yugi had been alright with his imminent death, if it came to it, but something about her smile snapped him back into his rational mind as he remembered why he’d come here in the first place; for Ryou and Duke. If Mai decided not to let him in the club, he wouldn’t have any information to bring back to them. 

“It’s—It’s my fault, you see.” He had to come up with something, or all of this was going to be for nothing. 

“Is that so?” He could almost hear her smirk.

“We—we got assigned to the same group for our classwork and have... different ideas of what that means,” Yugi fumbled miserably, “But we’ll make up and figure out our differences. Right, Seto?” 

Seto’s expression said _not a chance_ , but whatever his reasons for wishing to join the club, he seemed to understand that Yugi was offering him an olive branch. Somehow, Mai had him against the wall, and Yugi was going to take advantage of it if he could. 

“Yugi... is correct,” Seto forced out, just as miserable of a liar as Yugi was. “I’m sure there’s a way for all parties here to find a—“ His nose wrinkled in distaste. “—satisfactory resolution.”

Mai’s grip loosened slightly, although she didn’t let go quite yet. “That’s more along the lines of what I want to hear,” she said, disregarding the fact that they were both lying outright. 

“I don’t care about things like interpersonal arguments, so I’ll let both of you join, under one condition; end this feud right here. I won’t permit this kind of immaturity during club meetings. You’re adults now; act like it.”

She was... letting them off the hook? Yugi could hardly believe what he was hearing. 

“Of course, Miss...?” Yugi already knew her name, but an awkward conversation about _why_ he knew that information was not something he desired currently. He had enough troubles as it was.

“Kujaku. Call me Mai, though.” She relinquished her grasp on the pair, giving Seto a level, threatening look as she did so. 

Turning on her heel, she retrieved a single informational flier from the table, and handed it to Yugi, leaning close as she did so. 

“If he gives you any trouble, let me know,” she whispered, leaning back so quickly Yugi was almost sure he’d imagined it. 

The scent of roses lingered around him, though, and he couldn’t help but fight a grin. _Checkmate, Seto Kaiba._

Looking them over one last time, Mai stood akimbo, hands firmly planted on her hips. “Since you two should be good friends by the time you show up at club, you should only need one sheet, right?” she informed them sweetly, almost daring Seto to complain about it.

He did not. 

“Good. I’m glad you understand. Now, I’m going to go back to running my table at this awful event, and you two are going to go finish sorting this out. I will not be so forgiving a second time. Still with me?” 

Both Yugi and Seto nodded, although Yugi could tell that Seto was barely containing whatever slurry of emotions was going through him, by the way he shook silently. He was having a hard time feeling bad for him right now, though. 

“Wonderful. Now get out of here, before I change my mind. I’ll see the two of you at club.”

Leaving the banquet hall once more was a blur, but it was luckily cut much shorter by the fact that it seemed that Seto naturally repelled others. The crowd split in front of him as if he’d used some sort of biblical feat to accomplish it, and as long as Yugi followed close behind, he was able to slip through the crowd just as quickly. 

The cool night air was a pleasant relief after the overwhelming heat of a banquet hall packed with people. Yugi felt most of the tension sap from his body, finally freed from the chaotic atmosphere that’d permeated the function. 

He was cold now, and still had to convince Seto to not leave his group, but he had the flyer. That alone made the entire ordeal worth it. 

Yugi looked over at Seto, who lingered nearby awkwardly, glaring off as if he could stand here all night. He was going to have to be the first one to say something.

“I don’t mean to twist your arm, but wouldn’t it be easier if we started over? We’re going to be at this school for the next four years, and it’d be easier for the both of us if we could be civil.” He’d planned to use the flyer as leverage, but all of the fight in him had evaporated when he stepped outside. 

Yugi almost expected Seto to continue their earlier quarrel, but he seemed to be tired of arguing as well. When the heir turned his attention to him this time, there was a weary quality to the quiet moment he took to mull over his words. 

“A-and I’m not saying we need to be like, friends, or anything,” Yugi added, his voice cracking, “and you can change your mind later if you hate being in a group with me and Duke that much, but all I’m asking for is the chance to prove myself. Don’t judge me before you’ve seen what I’m capable of.”

“I suppose that such a thing could be... arranged.” He was looking away again.

Yugi blinked. Had he heard him correctly? Had the heir to the Kaiba estates just agreed with him, and without Mai’s threat hanging over his head? Perhaps miracles were more commonplace than Yugi had had them pegged.

“Okay. Alright. Good.” Yugi hadn’t expected this step to go so smoothly, and was suddenly at a loss of how to continue. “Do you want to go for a walk? I don’t want to talk here, and I doubt you want prying ears, yourself.” That’d buy him some time.

“If we must.” He checked his watch. “I still have another hour allotted for time on campus, if needed.” 

They started towards the woods, along the walking path that was lined with intermittent  street lights as it followed the curve of the edge of campus. The bus passed them once or twice before Yugi, not one to let the silence stand too long, spoke up again, watching the forest grow closer in his sight. 

“What kind of games do you like to play, Seto?” he asked lightly, deeming it the safest question to start off with. 

“I’m the reigning World Champion in Chess,” Seto replied flatly. 

Yugi wasn’t sure what to make of that response. “Do you like it, then?” 

He found himself targeted by a blank look. “It’s a pastime.” 

Yugi’d make more progress with a brick wall if he didn’t take over the conversation. “Do you play any other games? Blazing Crest, maybe? It’s a turn-based chess-like rpg....” 

There was silence from Seto’s end.

“How about Zordo: Legend of Swordsmen?” Still, nothing. Perhaps a tabletop was more his style. 

“Darkest Dungeon of Dragons?” A quiet snort of indignation. Perhaps not. He’d have to try harder.

“Uh, maybe Dominion Hearts? Or Fantasy’s Finality?” He was starting to run out of ideas. “Dire Souls, even?”

Seto continued to walk, uninterested. _Oh god, he was just going to lose him in all of these game titles. Maybe just one more?_

“Do you happen to play Mortal Mash Brothers, then?” 

It was a last-ditch effort, but games had always been the easiest ice-breaker for Yugi. When he’d first been introduced to Anzu when they were younger, he’d been too intimidated to talk to her until she whipped out a chunky handheld console and asked him if he had Minímon. 

He could remember those early summers clearly, with the pair always sprawled across the floor in Anzu’s room to escape the daytime heat, battling and trading their Minímon as the fans droned around them. Games had always had a magical quality to him, after that. 

“I dabble in it. Mokuba enjoys it, so I’ve put some time in. It’s an adequately designed game, I suppose.” 

Yugi could have cried with relief. _Finally,_ some sort of progress. Now, all he had to do was keep the conversation rolling.

“What characters do you main?” he prodded, “I prefer medium to small weight fighters, like the Creature Crossings Villager and Dark Pit, but sometimes I’ll pick a heavyweight like Ganon.” 

He prepared to keep talking if the other returned to silence, but Seto looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Mokuba likes feather and lightweights like Jigglypuff. Yoshi and Pikachu as well. When I play, I usually pick Corrin or Captain Falcon.” 

“Oh, so you’re one of those players,” Yugi replied, amusement creeping into his tone, “Low recovery, high KO capability, and all about timing. An interesting matchup against the slippery featherweights that—Mokuba, was it?—uses. Who is that, by the way?” 

There was a deliberative pause from the heir, likely weighing if Yugi was worth telling, although, at this point, it seemed performative at most. 

“Mokuba is my younger brother,” Seto revealed reluctantly, “He’s set to start high school soon. He plays Mortal Mash Brothers to keep in touch with his friends from his previous schools. We move rather often.” 

They found themselves standing at the mouth of the forest, where the initial walking trail split into several different directions. There were path markers, but the streetlights ended here, their illumination petering out only a couple feet in. Luckily, the night was clear enough to afford a view of the gibbous moon; its brilliance breaking through the canopy enough to provide sufficient light for them to navigate. 

The shorter man hesitated briefly, although he moved forward once more as Seto simply plowed ahead, without giving a second thought to the uncertain detour. Potentially getting lost in the forest with the person who had, until within the last half-hour, been his biggest enemy on campus wasn’t particularly in Yugi’s plans, but as long as he kept an eye on the trail markers, they’d probably be fine.

And if he didn’t, he’d look like a coward in front of Seto. Yugi rushed after him.

It took him a moment to catch up, but soon enough he settled back into a walk beside the other game design major. Something about these woods unnerved him, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“That’s sweet,” said Yugi, glancing at Seto  in between keeping vigil of the forest about them as they walked, “Playing video games with others is a special experience.” 

The trees the pair passed thinned out as they followed a branching path that Seto chose, the subtle rush of some sort of body of water nearby becoming audible the farther they pushed into the campus’s forest. Yugi squinted through the underbrush.

It seemed the path they were walking on ran parallel to a small creek, formed from jagged shale that ran horizontally at points, creating a smooth creek bed underneath the rippling currents. Some larger shale boulders jutted from above the surface farther down. Rapids?

Seto hadn’t bothered to reply to Yugi’s last statement, but he couldn’t find it in himself to mind right now. While the atmosphere of the woods had hovered somewhere between comforting and vaguely unsettling for most of their walk, it was growing heavier with each step. 

Had Seto noticed it too? Yugi wondered, sneaking a glance at him. The brown-haired man’s lips were drawn into a tight, impassive line, his sight firmly set on the path ahead of them. It was hard to tell. He followed the line of Seto’s sight.

The hairs at the base of his neck stood on end as he realized that there was a clearing coming up, the moonlight reflecting off the moderate rapids as the creek spilled out of the surrounding woods. 

A stiff wind buffeted the pair as they reached the edge of the tree coverage, looking out across the clearing. The majority of the space was dominated by a massive stone slab at the far end, standing slightly taller than the crowns of the neighboring trees. The slab, inscribed with some sort of mural that Yugi couldn’t quite make out, rested on a even larger slab that was wide enough to play tennis on. It seemed like it had been carved out of some wall and deposited here, although as he moved closer, it became apparent that it was contained in some sort of glass construct, likely to protect it. 

It seemed like an odd place for such a grand installation, though. Yugi had seen plenty of other outside sculptures around campus, from abstract metal forms and toon-themed statues, to a collection of tall pipes that made melodious tones when the wind blew just right. All of those had been in obvious, public places, picture-perfect additions to Pegasus’s personal paradise. 

Why was this massive sculpture or installation here, then? 

Seto cursed lowly underneath his breath, trying to make his way through the point bank at the edge of the creek, but finding that many of the rocks were damp and slippery from the shallow, lazy creek that stood between them and the slab. 

Someone that had been here before them had already solved this hurdle, however, as a sturdy slab of slate had been clearly dragged from its home to straddle a narrower stretch of the banks.

It was only a matter of carefully stepping carefully through the smaller rocks, clumps of natural debris and shallow pools of water to reach their goal. The slab that created a platform was thick enough that Yugi had to hitch his leg over the edge to clamber up, while Seto watched him struggle with a barely concealed smirk. _Asshole._

Once they were both upright on the platform, they turned their attention to the slab itself. It was a tablet, almost certainly Ancient Egyptian in nature, if the amount of hieroglyphics on its weathered surface were any indicator. Etched into the delicate limestone, there was two figures facing, arms outstretched over a flame. Above their heads was a second, floating pair of figures, monstrous in design, locked in battle. Above that, even, was a trio of smaller monsters flanking a triangular object which bore the same wadjet symbol that Yugi had seen on Ryou’s Millennium Ring. 

Despite the amount of unease that that inspired in Yugi, it didn’t compare to the viscerally indescribable feeling that washed over him as he looked at a mirror image of himself, projected to him from thousands of years in the past. This spectre of the distant past wore extravagant clothing, yet had a profile that was unmistakably Yugi’s, down to the shape of his hair.

Seto cursed again, although this time, Yugi heard him.

“Where does Pegasus get off on this sick shit?” The heir was also staring at the tablet with a stricken expression, although his was that of disgust. 

It was then that Yugi realized that Seto, too, had a mirrored self on the tablet. 

His hands suddenly felt very cold. The moonlight, which had initially made him feel safer, instead made him feel like they were too visible. 

“We should go back,” he said simply, flinging away any pretense of normalcy. 

Seto nodded, turning to hop off the platform. “There’s nothing else for us here.”

It seemed unspoken between them that they were not going to discuss what they’d just witnessed, hurrying silently back through the trees back the way they came. 

Reaching the entrance, Yugi stood there awkwardly for a moment as Seto typed his number into Yugi’s phone, which he had wordlessly handed to him with a new contact profile pulled up. He wasn’t going to give Seto any time to change his mind, especially now, with the odd, foreboding tablet in the forefront of his thoughts.

There was an annoyed twitch in the corner of Seto’s mouth, but he dutifully punched in his number before returning Yugi his phone. 

“Don’t text me anything unnecessary” was all he said before turning to leave. 

Yugi clutched his phone loosely in his hand as he watched Seto’s retreating figure. Now, all he had to do was get back to the dorms in one piece. 

He flagged down the bus the next time it passed, climbing aboard, and sagging against the window in the seat he chose. From this relative safety, he carefully watched the edge of the woods as the bus drove past, as if something in the trees would solve any of the questions that swirled around in Yugi’s head.

Within minutes, he was standing in front of his dorms once again. Had he really been here this morning, too? The day had felt much longer than that. Maybe he’d pass out early when he got upstairs.

When Yugi opened the door to his and Ryou’s room, the white-haired man was busy taking notes at his desk, although he was already in his pajamas. He turned at the sound of the opening door, smiling brightly. 

“How was Activities Night?”

Yugi grimaced, and Ryou’s brows creased with worry. “That bad?”

“I’ll tell you about it later,” he sighed, kicking off his boots halfheartedly, “I’d have a hard time explaining it currently, anyways. I got the flyer, though.” Yugi brandished the sheet of paper proudly.

Ryou nodded with understanding. “If you want to talk about it later, I’m all ears. Oh—by the way, did you ever find out what that package was?”

Yugi blinked. He’d totally forgotten that he’d gotten a package from his grandfather that morning, in light of everything else that’d happened that day. It felt like years ago, now.

“Oh. No. I picked it up, but never opened it,” he chuckled wearily. “I forgot. Thanks for reminding me, though; I wouldn’t have opened it for another week.” He sank into the chair at his desk, and rummaged through his messenger bag. 

His prior curiosity was rekindled as he pulled the brown box out, placing it on his desk gently. Reaching out, he turned his desk lamp on with a quiet click. His fingers sought purchase at the edge of the top flap, seeking to rip it open, but the packing tape didn’t budge. He hummed with interest. Fishing for his pocketknife from somewhere within his many pockets, he popped it open and slit the tape holding the top closed. 

Yugi shifted through the first layer of packing peanuts. There was a glint from underneath, and he paused. He had seen it so many times, today alone, that he didn’t question what it was for a second. His knife clattered to the table loudly. 

“Ryou,” he said slowly, successfully keeping the waver from his tone, “You might want to see this.”

He could hear Ryou’s chair scrape away from his desk as he came to investigate. Yugi reached into the mass of foam peanuts to pull out a small golden box, the face and sides of which  werewas covered in hieroglyphics. He pushed aside the original package to set the box, heavy with something that shifted and clinked within, gingerly down. 

Set in the face was the same wadjet that had been haunting him from the moment he’d seen Ryou’s Millennium Ring. He’d been hoping that he could make it into the next day without discovering any additional mysteries to make his head ache, but it seemed that that wasn’t in the cards for him today. 

As Ryou glanced over Yugi’s shoulder, he gasped. “It couldn’t be—Who in the world sent you that?” 

“My grandfather, apparently,” replied Yugi. 

On a whim, he reached back into the cardboard box, grasping blindly at the bottom underneath the foam peanuts. Sure enough, there was an envelope taped to the inside. He tore the tape off and fished it out. 

Ryou leaned in to read it with him as Yugi smoothed out the creases of the contained letter.

  
  


_ To my grandson;   
  
_

_ I wish I could have accompanied you to Domino City to see you off on this brand new journey into the next stage of your life, but my back is not as strong as it used to be, and I cannot take those long train rides any more. Know that my thoughts remain with you always, though. _

_ I thought a long time about what to give you as congratulations for getting into such a prestigious college, and eventually I settled on something I should have given you a long time ago. I apologize I took this long. This heirloom has been passed down throughout our family for some years; I could not tell you for how many.  _

_ This fault is mine, because I didn’t wish to inflict the sort of pain that this same tradition caused me, in being unable to solve the puzzle within that box. When I finally gave up, I fell into a deep despondency and could not look at it anymore, hiding it away for many a year.  _

_ I didn’t give it to your father. It would have broke him, the way it had me. I would have been content to let it gather dust in my attic forever, but I am getting older, and it is making me realize some of the things I would like to leave behind.  _

_ No puzzle should go unsolved forever. I apologize immensely for whatever pain this might cause, but I believe you can solve it. If not you, those who will come after. Part of growing up is learning where you pass off the baton. All I can only offer you is the same words my own father spoke to me when he gave me this inheritance: _

_ A puzzle only has one solution; you can search for it all your life without finding it, but the moment you do, you can never go back. _

_ I love you very much, my dearest Yugi. May you always find enjoyment in the games you play. _

— _Sugoroku Muto_

  
  


To say that Yugi had mixed feelings about what he had just read would be putting it lightly. He had been close to his grandfather for as long as he could remember; Grandpa Muto had always had time to spend with his only grandson, especially in the days before he’d met Anzu. 

He’d been a quiet, withdrawn child back then, with a tendency to indulge in fantasy, ignoring the world around him. It had made him isolated at school, but he’d never minded, since he could always walk a few doors down from his parents house after classes ended each afternoon to visit his grandfather’s game shop. 

They’d play whatever new games Grandpa Muto had have come in for the week, as well as ones already in the elderly man’s extensive collection. Even after he became friends with Anzu, he still frequented the shop, although his visits started to dwindle slightly as he got older. 

He’d still found himself there about twice a week before he’d left. 

Just how long had Grandpa Muto been thinking about this? Yugi had never thought him to be the secretive sort, but as it stood, a lot of his perceptions about the world around him had already shifted starkly since he’d come to this college. 

He realized that he was crying the moment he felt Ryou’s hand on his shoulder. Making eye contact with his worried roommate, Yugi hurriedly wiped at his eyes with a fist, setting the letter to the side. He had bigger problems than why he’d acquired this puzzle.

“I’m sorry you had to see that,” Yugi said, stitching together his composure. Ryou squeezed his shoulder lightly, a small, mournful smile on his lips.

“Don’t be, really,” said Ryou. “I know the feeling. Burdens that are passed down are always heavier for it.” His other hand gripped the Millennium Ring so tight his knuckles were turning white. 

“Was... was it the same way when you inherited the Ring?” Yugi found himself asking.

“Yes. No. It was a very long time ago.” Ryou let the Millennium Ring slip from his fingers, colliding back with his chest unceremoniously. “I inherited the Ring long before I was old enough to know what that meant.” 

His hand still rested on Yugi’s shoulder, a grounding weight. He was thankful for it, although it made him all the more painfully aware of how little he knew about Ryou, or the Items, for that matter. Did they have something to do with the tablet in the forest? 

He could trust Ryou; he knew that much. Or at the very least, the feeling in his gut told him so. Yugi was aware that he was far out of his depth already, and any help he could get was welcome. Ryou seemed to genuinely care, despite the fact that they’d only known each other a couple days. 

His mouth twisted into a worried frown. What did he have to lose?

Yugi told him about Activities Night, and his encounter with Mai and Seto. He also told him about the woods, and the tablet he’d seen there, sparing no details, down to the figures that had resembled him and Seto so closely. 

Ryou was silent for a long moment after Yugi finished, his expression pensive. Finally, he seemed to come to some sort of consensus with himself, turning to return to his deck to rifling through his notes. 

“Yugi, can you bring me the box?” Ryou asked, tying his hair back into a ponytail, “I want to start deciphering what those hieroglyphs mean. I don’t know if this will directly help, but I think that that makes the endeavor all the more fruitful. We need to start somewhere. Something is clearly happening here, and I think it’ll find us whether we get the drop on it or not.” 

“What should I do with the pieces?” Yugi asked, although he was sure that he already knew the answer. He just didn’t like it.

“I’ll leave them to you,” Ryou replied, seating himself at his desk, “The sooner it’s completed, the better. Your grandfather believes that you’re capable of solving it. I do, too, for that matter. It’s just a matter of getting started, which is the hardest part.”

Ryou was right, and Yugi hated it. He took a deep breath. Where was the Yugi that had won his very first World Of Toons championship? The one that loved nothing more than a puzzle, a challenge to throw himself at? He’d been shaken by the rollercoaster of a day that seemed to stretch endlessly on with no end with sight. He couldn’t let himself give up this easy.

Was he about to pull an all-nighter on top of it all, putting together an ancient puzzle that may or may not have some sort of otherworldly power attached to it? It seemed to be in his cards. He cracked open a can of Monster, and got to work. 

With all the pieces spread out on his desk, and the box itself in Ryou’s care, Yugi began to try to piece together what shape the completed puzzle would be. He thought back to the tablet in the woods. Hadn’t there been a wadjet symbol in a triangle above the battling figures? 

He grinned. There had been a triangular pendant around the neck of the figure that had mirrored him, too. 

Knowing the shape, though, in the end, only helped him so much. It was another hour or two of little progress before Ryou finally came over, holding a piece of paper. 

“I managed to translate it,” he informed him, with a weary but satisfied smile. “Some of the meanings are hard to translate directly, but I think I’ve managed something passable for the main phrase.” He ended his words with a yawn. 

Yugi offered him a Monster can from under his desk, and Ryou shook his head. “Ah, no—I’ve got a weak stomach when it comes to those. Thank you. I’m sure I can stay up a little longer, anyways. Aren’t you planning to go to bed at all?”

Turning back to the puzzle, Yugi shook his head. He’d separated out the corner pieces and laid them out in an approximation of where he thought they should go, but he hadn’t gotten much farther, for a time. 

“I’m not planning to stay up all night if I don’t have too, but I’d like to keep trying for a tad longer,” replied Yugi. The time had passed rather quickly, and he’d like to at least attempt to get a little farther before he gave in for the night.

“I’ll help, for a time, then,” said Ryou, pulling his chair over to sit next to Yugi. “Would you like to hear the translation?” 

“Oh—of course! I’m sorry—I know you spent a lot of time translating that. Thank you.” Yugi rubbed the back of his neck, glancing at Ryou, who laughed and nudged him with his shoulder.

“Don’t apologize; you were just focused.” Ryou smiled at him for a moment more before glancing back down at his paper. “Now, this isn’t a perfect translation, but I definitely have the sentiment down, at this point.”

He cleared his throat quietly. “He who solves me will be granted—and now, here is where it becomes difficult. The next phrase could either mean some sort of wish, or some sort of power. There are a lot of hieroglyphs on this box I’ve never seen before; if we had some sort of reference for some of them, I could perhaps work on cracking more of what’s here...” He trailed off.

_ A wish, or a power... _

“Don’t worry! You’ve already helped me so much already, Ryou.” Yugi beamed, putting a hand out to gently push Ryou’s paper away so he’d stop staring at it. Ryou’s gaze remained downcast.

Yugi studied Ryou’s face for a moment. “You look tired. Are you sure you want to stay up? You should probably rest, instead. I promise I won’t stay up too much longer.” 

His roommate sighed, shifting in his seat as if he wished to protest, but was too weary to go through with it.

“I suppose so.” He rubbed at one of his temples, glancing back up. “If I stay up much longer, I’ll end up with a migraine.” 

They said their goodnights, and soon Yugi found himself seated at his desk with only the warm light of his desk lamp as illumination, the rest of the room falling into shadow. Once more, he returned to his task, but his sense of urgency had dwindled drastically. Perhaps he would solve it tomorrow, perhaps he would solve it the next day, but he would solve it. He felt it with a deep certainty.

He’d been tense, at first, when the memories of the forest and what it held were fresh. Now that he was in the midst of it, however, without that fear tugging at the back of his mind, he was having the time of his life. It had been a long time since a puzzle gave him that much trouble. At a certain point, solving jigsaw puzzles had become almost automatic, but those were nothing compared to the marvel he cradled in his hands.

No, this was something else entirely. 

He inspected the seams of the few pieces he’d managed to put together, the smooth metal having been fitted so close together that it was hard to parse where one ended and the next began. None of the pieces were duplicates—he’d checked. Yugi had never seen such a unique, well crafted puzzle before.

He fitted another few pieces together. Where they met made the ideal place for one of the pieces he’d inspected earlier. He sifted through the remainder on his desk, quickly locating the one he’d been thinking of. It fit perfectly. 

Scrutinizing the new shape that formed, he realized he knew what piece should come next. Finding it, he added it as well. With that shape, that meant—Clink. Another piece slotted in place.

Maybe he could stay up a little longer.

Piece after piece, he continued to piece together the Puzzle, bent over the table. He wasn’t sure how long it took; if he looked at his phone, he was sure to break the spell and fail, somehow. 

He pressed on, despite his mounting exhaustion, wanting nothing more to keep solving the Puzzle forever. His hands moved almost on their own, now, and each piece continued their orderly return to their fated positions within the pyramidal pendant. It was as if there was a faint buzz of life underneath his fingertips, like the Puzzle was just as keen to be solved as he was to solve it.

Almost abruptly, he found himself holding the last piece of the Puzzle. The edges of his vision swam with exhaustion, and he could hear the birds beginning to wake outside. A small wadjet stared up from his palm. All he had to do was insert it into the face of the Puzzle and he would be done. 

His hands shook violently. This couldn’t be it. He’d expected it to take longer; a few days, weeks, perhaps even months. Years, if he was unlucky as his grandfather.

He was going to pass out, he realized very suddenly, the inky darkness at the corner of his sight threatening to swallow him. 

With the last of his strength, he pushed the wadjet symbol into the Puzzle, the piece sliding into place without resistance. 

_Was the lamp shining off its surface?_ It was difficult to tell the way his vision swam. However, he was filled with so much satisfaction at his triumph, that he still managed a small weary smile as he pitched forward to lean on his desk, unconscious. 

And the Millennium Puzzle, finally completed, remained in his cupped hands, humming with quiet life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here marks the end of prologue! Thank you to everyone who’s made it this far... It’s been a little bit of a time coming. Things will start picking up after this, so stay tuned! Joey and a certain spirit should be showing up next chapter.
> 
> This chapter’s titular game, Blazing Crest, is a nod to Fire Emblem and other strat games like it and Disgea! The references are starting to add up lmao 
> 
> Also, [what Ryou was saying is true!](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0741521414008659) I bet he finds all sorts of interesting tidbits while studying! 
> 
> Thank you all for making this far! and sorry to anyone who’s witnessed one of the many edits lol.


	4. Zordo: Legend of Swordsmen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No beta this time—and apologies for how late this chapter has appeared. I’ve been moving for the better side of a month, and by the gods I’m really tired, haha. The last chapter burned me out at a bad time, too. Hopefully, there’s less time between updates as I get more settled in here.

As Yugi cracked open his eyes, the sun creeping through the blinds fell onto the desk in front of him, reflecting off the now-completed Millennium Puzzle he held in his hands.

It was the first thing he saw, and as his mind tried to process what had happened the day before, he simply sat there groggily, staring at it. Completed, the Puzzle was pyramidal, with protruding edges on the corners, and featured the ever-present wadjet symbol in its face.

_ What a strange pendant, _ he thought to himself, turning it over in his hands, fingers pressing at the barely-perceivable seams to test its durability. Fully together, it had no give, the interlocking pieces granting each other strength against his questing digits. 

Humming with curiosity, he now realized the Puzzle had a brightly-colored braided string laced through its bale, making it wearable. Yugi also felt the light weight of his blanket draped over his shoulders, and a neatly written note was placed near where the pendant had been resting when he’d awoken. 

  
  


_ Yugi— _ the note read _ —I noticed you completed the Puzzle, so I braided you a cord to wear it with. Congratulations! Your grandfather would be so proud of you.  _

_ You deserve a bit of rest, so I declined to wake you, since you looked so peaceful. I hope you don’t mind. Could you do me a favor and keep the Puzzle on you? It goes without saying that I think it chose you, whatever that entails. We’ll get to the bottom of all of this together.  _

_ In the meantime, I hope you also don’t mind that I’m going to report at least some of the details of this to the other Item-holders. I think they will be important allies to us as we move forward.  _

_ I’ll err on the side of caution, since I don’t know them well enough yet to discern their motivations, but either way, this is an important discovery. It’s one less Millennium Item with its whereabouts unknown. _

_ Was Pegasus planning for this? This all seems too coincidental. I’m left with so many questions... but if nothing else, I trust you, Yugi.  _

_ We’ll talk more after classes are done for the day. Text me if anything pressing arises. _

_ —Ryou Bakura _

Ryou’s handwriting was elegant and upright, and he’d included his number underneath his signature. 

Yugi pulled out his phone, intending to add him as a contact, when he caught a glimpse of what time it actually was. There was only fifteen minutes left until his history class began; he might still have time if he left now. 

There had been a brief moment of considering whether or not skipping was an option for him, but he’d quickly decided against it. Yugi was certain that one of his skips could be better utilized later, rather than skipping the second time he even had the class. 

He shoved his phone back in his pocket, folding up the note to put in his backpack, and spent less than a minute throwing a new shirt on before he sprinted out the door. He’d also looped the braided blue, purple, and magenta cord around his neck, feeling the weight of the Puzzle bounce against his chest as he ran.

Slamming back the last of his energy drink from the night before, he deposited it in one of the trashcans he passed.

The goth was infinitely glad that he’d finally figured out the layout of the campus, and even more glad that his eyeliner had remained intact overnight—having caught his reflection in a window as he sprinted past as if his life depended on it. 

An upperclassman or two had gotten a chuckle out of his mad dash—perhaps remembering their own sprints in the past—but it seemed that Yugi wasn’t the only one late for class this morning. 

A man with a chaotic mop of sandy-blonde hair was sprinting from a different direction, with a messenger bag so overfilled that it threatened to spill with each stride he took. Still, he was making a valiant attempt to contain it with a single hand as he ran, his teeth grit in concentration. 

Yugi didn’t have the time to glance at him for more than a moment, but as their paths converged towards the Humanities building, he soon found himself running directly next to the taller student. He was wearing a green flannel, with a  _ Zordo: Legend of Swordsmen _ graphic tee peeking out from underneath, and faded, ripped jeans that hung almost loosely on him.

From underneath the uneven fringe of his hair, the man glanced back at him with hazel eyes. “You wouldn’t happen to be headin’ to tha’ same place as me, wouldja’?” he managed to force out from beside Yugi, not breaking stride. 

“History in Context?” inquired Yugi, between laboured breaths as his stamina began to wither.

“That’d be tha’ one, heh,” wheezed his peer, “With the old guy who keeps talkin’ ‘bout anythin’ but actual history?”

Yugi snorted under his breath, a smile splitting across his face despite his exhaustion. “You’re telling me. I wonder how he got a job here, since Pegasus’s school is supposed to be the best.”

The other student rolled to a halt as they reached the doors of the Humanities building, opening it for Yugi and slipping in after him. Quickly, they then navigated towards the lecture hall only a few doors past the entryway. 

“Eh, give it a week. One ‘a the seniors told me that these gen-ed teachers come an’ go like seasons.” The man scratched the back of his neck, stretching slightly before he opened the door to enter the lecture hall.

“For real?” Yugi asked, as they slid into seats in the back row, safe enough since the professor seemed to still be sorting out his notes at the front of the room.

“Yeah, at least, far as I’m aware. I don’t think Mai would pull my leg like that.” The other freshman bent over in his seat, attempting to sort through the things in his bag.

“You wouldn’t mean Mai Kujaku?” Yugi turned, fighting to keep the interest from his tone.

“Tha’ one an’ only, naturally. Me ‘n’ her go back forever. You know her?” His classmate quirked an eyebrow at him, seemingly just as intrigued. 

“Well, you could say that. I only just met her, but she leaves quite an impression.” Yugi chuckled sheepishly, avoiding eye contact as he felt the man’s curious gaze on him.

“Heh, that’s for sure. You joinin’ her club, then? Since ya’ don’t seem tha’ partyin’ type.” His peer leaned on his propped up arms, and Yugi nodded, opening his mouth to reply.

At the front of the classroom, the professor cleared his throat, intending to begin the lecture. The class around them quieted down, and Yugi instead reached around in his backpack, searching for his sketchbook, which he’d mercifully packed the night before. 

_ Yeah, I’m definitely interested in it. I love games! My roommate and I are both joining, _ he quickly jotted down, adding a hurried doodle of himself smiling. Handing it to his neighbor, he watched him chuckle under his breath, before scribbling his own reply and a lopsided doodle of himself. 

_ sweet! _ read the reply, when the sketchbook was returned to Yugi. 

_ i’ll be joining as well since i can’t very well let mai have an easy time heh. i’m jounouchi but you might as well call me joey. nickname goes a bit back lol. what about you? _

Joey’s shaky doodle of himself featured a big grin and a thumbs up, and Yugi couldn’t help but smile as he wrote a response. 

_ I’m Yugi! I’m a game design major, but also an art minor! What about you? _

Yugi slid the sketchbook back, and pretended to listen to the professor for a few moments, before he felt a tap on his shoulder, the book returning to his possession. 

_ child psychology! im tryna become a counselor. i like working with kids and i think they could use a few more good ones around. growing up is hard enough as it is. _

Twirling his pencil around in his hand, Yugi considered it a moment before starting to write another reply. Most of the rest of the lecture was passed this way, much like the sketchbook between them. 

He learned that Joey and Mai grew up in the same town, and she’d been like an older sister to him. His actual sister, Shizuka, was a couple years younger than him, and had moved to Domino City with him. 

He liked video games as well as various tabletops, and used games to relate to the kids that he encountered through the various programs he volunteered for. His mains in  _ Mortal Mash Brothers _ were Bowser and Toon Link, and he had an extensive tally of win-loss ratios with Mai going back years.

In return, Yugi told Joey a fair bit about himself, from his love of games coming from his grandfather, to the World of Toons championship that had gotten him here. Losing track of time, he forgot almost entirely that they were in class.

He’d almost been disappointed when the professor announced that the lecture was over, since he’d been having so much fun passing notes. 

“Anotha’ class, aced by yours truly,” Joey poked sarcastically, beginning to pack up with a grin. 

Yugi snorted. “I probably could have learned more reading randomized Wikipedia articles, if that’s what you mean,” he retorted casually. 

That drew a snicker from the psych major, covering his mouth with a fist. “I’ll hafta’ remember that one. I’m tellin’ ya though, this guy’s toast. Teachers just disappear all the time, here, if they don’t measure up.” 

Standing up, he hefted his freshly organized bag over his shoulder “Pegasus must have some sorta student hotline or other or somethin’. Mai was tellin’ me all ‘bout it.” 

Yugi nodded sagely and rose as well, having collected his things. “I suppose if you’re as rich as he is, anything is possible.” 

His mind wandered treacherously towards what he’d seen in the forest, but the thoughts of his stomach were set decidedly on the fact that he hadn’t eaten yet. It growled loudly enough that Joey blinked blankly, before his countenance morphed into a cheeky grin.

“For a second, I almost thought that was me, heh! I suppose we’re of the same mind, then? Wanna grab some grub?” He gave Yugi a friendly slap on the shoulder as he passed to exit the row of seats. “Unless you got class soon or somethin’.” 

Yugi shook his head. “I’m free for a fair bit. Want to head to a cafe, then?” 

Joey hummed in agreement, heading up the stairs towards the exit of the lecture hall as the shorter man followed suit. They found themselves at the same forest-side cafe that Yugi had visited previously with Duke, although Yugi consciously picked a seat facing away from the woods, this time. He didn’t feel like thinking about it on an empty stomach. 

“So, about club—“ Joey began, after they’d ordered, “—that’s tonight, isn’t it? I didn’t bother grabbin’ a flyer since I figured Mai would tell me, but since I’ve got ya’ here ‘n’ all, I might as well ask.” 

Yugi fiddled with the straw of his drink. “Tonight, at eight, in one of the recreational rooms on the third floor of the Tech Spire. Room, uh, 315?”

Joey blinked. “I didn’t expect ya’ to have it memorized. You a robot or somethin’?”

The goth chuckled, wincing lightly. “No, I just went through a bit of trouble for the information. Couldn’t possibly forget either, since I needed to tell a few people.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize you were Mr. Popular, over here,” the psych major teased, “I suppose you’ll be rollin’ up with an entire crew, then?”

Yugi laughed nervously, raising his hands up slightly in protest. “Nothing like that. I’m not the popular type. Just classmates and my roommate, although they’re all lovely people.” 

Well, besides Seto, but Yugi wasn’t in the mood to unpack what he thought about the argumentative heir currently, let alone try to explain it to Joey.

The conversation continued easily, but as Yugi began to eat his hamburger, he began to feel... odd. He felt warm, like he had been left out in the sun for too long, on one of those days where the heat made the horizon waver over the tarmac. 

He took a sip of his drink, wondering if he was dehydrated, but his symptoms only seemed to worsen the longer he sat there.

It was like someone had flattened his viewing lens, Joey appearing farther away than he was. His head swam woozily, his thoughts coming to him sluggishly and delayed as he searched for the source of the unfamiliar sensation that had overwhelmed him so. 

He was talking to Joey, still, but he was having a hard time discerning what they were even discussing, at this point. The expression his new friend wore was worried, and Yugi attempted to tell him that he was okay, only to find he could no longer move of his own volition. He then tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but found himself robbed of air, his panic rising. 

Fighting for control of his own body, and feeling outcast as if he was a stranger to it, he suddenly felt particularly faint. The table rushed up to meet him.

  
  


Yugi came to in his dorm bed, to the sound of both Ryou and Joey discussing something in hushed tones. He still felt tired, and he felt safe enough, despite not knowing what had happened, so he faded back into darkness.

When he awoke again, the sun was coming through the blinds at a different angle, and he could hear Ryou shuffling papers around on his side of the room. Slowly, he sat up, and tried to process what’d just happened.

_Just how long had he been out?_

  
  
  
  


Ryou yawned languidly, seating himself at his desk to study the hieroglyphs on the Millennium Box during his break. He’d bought a sandwich for lunch, and decided he might as well eat before he got down to business, rather than work on an empty stomach.

Unwrapping the paper, he made short work of the sandwich, before crumpling the wrapper and lightly tossing it into the waste bin beside his desk. Interlacing his fingers and extending his arms before him, he stretched his arms and hands, before letting the tension fade. 

The anthropology major felt like he could get back to cracking those hieroglyphs, now. If he got a chance later, he’d ask Yugi to take him to see the stone again, if he was feeling up to it. Perhaps it’d have hieroglyphs that would match up with some of the ones on the box, and then he could work backwards with context clues. Even knowing that the different passages contained characters or phrases in common would serve to link them in a useful way. 

Tapping his pencil on the side of his chin, Ryou began to shuffle through his notes, until he heard a sudden, insistent knocking on the door. Huh. Perhaps Yugi had forgotten his keys, since he had already been gone when the white-haired man had returned earlier. 

Crossing the room to open the door, he found a man he’d never seen before propping up Yugi with a shoulder, a tired but relieved smile on his face. Yugi’s eyes were partially glazed over, but there still seemed to be life in him, although he seemed to be quietly scrutinizing the pair unfamiliarly. 

“You wouldn’t happen to be Yuge’s roomie, wouldja’?” The man asked hopefully, “I think he might need to lie down, or somethin’.” 

Ryou nodded blankly, dumbstruck, and let him in, taking Yugi’s other shoulder as they helped him over to his bed. Once they had him settled, Ryou checked his temperature, finding it normal. The odd expression had left Yugi’s features, and after a whispered thanks, the game design major quickly fell asleep.

Yugi’s savior stood awkwardly near the door, scratching the back of his neck, when Ryou finally turned away from the goth’s sleeping form. “Sorry to just barge in ‘n’ all without even introducin’ myself,” the blond began, shuffling his feet slightly, “It’s just he started gettin’ all outta it halfway through eatin’ lunch, so I decided to help him back here.”

Ryou smiled warmly at him, shaking his head. “Don’t worry about it, really; I’m very thankful you helped him back.” He stepped closer. “I didn’t introduce myself, either, so it’s all good. I’m Ryou.” He extended his hand amiably, watching as the other man scrambled to offer his own.

“Jounouchi, but most call me Joey,” came the reply, as the blond chuckled sheepishly. Joey’s hand was warm—a stark difference to Ryou’s cold digits—and his grip was firm as they shook hands. 

By the look on the other student’s face, it seemed that perhaps the gesture was too formal for the situation, Ryou realized suddenly. He retracted his hand politely, folding his arms behind his back. 

He’d never had many friends while growing up, since he’d been traveling with his father for most of his schooling years. This was at least partially due to the fact that his life had always been set out for him; he had learned at a young age that it was his duty to make the Millennium Ring his lifework, and pass it down to the next generation if he were to fail. For some reason, the thought nauseated him slightly, but if nothing else, Ryou wanted to at least try to live up to the mantle he’d inherited. 

“Uh, don’t tell me you’re gonna’ be the next one to faint.” A voice cut into his thoughts. “I dunno what’d I’d do then. Hello, earth to Ryou?” Joey was waving his hand in front of his face, and Ryou blanched, suddenly self-conscious. 

“Oh. My apologies; I was lost in thought,” he said as lightly as he could, brushing it off with a tinny laugh. 

“Anyways,” the anthropology major deflected, steering the conversation away from himself, “Can you tell me in more detail what happened at lunch?” 

He casually worried at the hem of his sweater as he continued, rerouting his brain as well. “My best guess is that it’s because Yugi got almost no sleep last night, so he should be fine after he gets some rest, but I’d like to know anything you remember just in case I end up having to take him to the health center.”

Joey nodded, taking a moment to consider the question. “Well, I ain’t known him for long, but he seems like a real friendly guy,” he said finally, “I was eatin’ with him after our history class, an’ next thing I know he’s got a weird look on his face, like he was gettin’ raptured or somethin’.” 

“...Raptured?” Ryou didn’t quite follow.

“Uh, well, in the sense he kind of jus’ paused. Like he’d seen or realized somethin’, ‘cept he was kind of, uh, stuck like that.” The blond rubbed the back of his neck. “It was the strangest thing, really. An’ then, he blinked again and got all serious, an’ I thought maybe he’d remembered somethin’ important. But he just sat there, and when I finally decided to say somethin’ he asked who I was.” 

Joey frowned, his brows knit with worry. “I thought for sure the sun got him or somethin’; it’s swelterin’ out there, yknow. Last heyday before fall really sets in an’ all that. I thought it’d be best to bring him back since I was a little at a loss, to be honest.” 

Ryou nodded in acknowledgment, spurring the man to continue. “We start discussin’ where his dorms are, and he manages to give me directions, but he was really thinkin’ hard about it, like he hardly knew where it was himself. He was lookin’ a ‘lil dizzy at that point, too, so I go to ask him if he’s feelin’ alright, and he goes an’ faceplants in his plate.”

“Ouch.” The white-haired man winced. “I take it you just brought him here after that, then?” 

Joey gave a nod, glancing towards Yugi’s bed. “Yeah, I thought it best.”

“It was smart. Huh, though, I have to say I don’t know what to make of that.” Ryou stroked his chin thoughtfully. “He might have been tired; I don’t know how much sleep he got because I went to bed before him, but that was rather late, too...” 

This drew a perplexed chuckle from Joey. “A right pair of disasters, the both of ya’. The hell’s got you stayin’ up so late on like, what, the second day of classes?

Ryou sighed. “It’s a long story, I’m afraid. If I’d known how late he was going to stay up, I would have made him go to bed when I did.”

The silence stretched between them uncomfortably, before Ryou decided to speak up once more. “Either way, thank you again, Joey. I’ll keep an eye on him, and take him to the nurse if anything worsens. It was nice to meet you, despite the circumstances.” 

Joey scratched at the back of his neck, lingering as if there was something on his mind. Politely, Ryou waited to see if he’d say anything, rather than hurrying him out. 

Sure enough, after another moment, Joey cleared his throat softly, shifting his weight on his heels.

“I’m sure you both got your reasons, and I ‘spose you’re not feelin’ fessin’ up your entire business to someone you just met,” he began awkwardly, “But I really do just wanna help. Let me know if either of ya’ need anythin’; I think Yuge’ mentioned both of ya’ were interested in Mai’s club? I can put ya’ on the mailin’ list if you end up stayin’ with him all evenin’.”

Ryou smiled softly. It was awfully nice of him to offer, so he felt no need to turn him down. He’d been rather evasive about the entire thing, anyways, so it wasn’t as if he even blamed Joey for pressing the matter. 

“Of course. I don’t quite know Yugi’s email, yet, but I can give you mine, just in case.” He moved to ruffle through one of the drawers of his desk, intent on finding a notebook that wasn’t already filled to the brim with research notes. 

Once located, he ripped a page out of the notebook, scribbling down his email and his number as well, for good measure. 

“Hopefully, we can make it to club, but if not, I would be very thankful. I know Yugi was looking forward to it...” Ryou glanced backwards at where his roommate was sleeping, until he remembered what he’d been doing and handed the paper to Joey.

Joey followed his gaze, before chuckling slightly, and muffling it with a hand. “I’m sure he’ll be fine. He’s in good hands.” 

Ryou didn’t have time to ask what he meant, since Joey had already turned, heading towards the door. “I’ll text ya’ so you have my number. Don’t be a stranger, you hear? Seeya at club, hopefully!”

The door closed behind Joey, and Ryou’s farewell died on his lips. He felt like he’d run a small marathon in the fifteen minutes or so that Joey’d been there. Was it the odd secret that he and Yugi were keeping, or the way that Joey had barreled in, only intent on helping them? 

It felt so odd to think about, and Ryou shook out his hands, which were starting to feel tingly. He really needed to stop gripping his hands so tight when he wasn’t doing anything else with them. 

A sigh escaped him as he realized that he was too shaken to attempt to return to his research quite yet, so he selected a novel from the pile of books he’d set aside to read during his leisure time. It was a horror novel, and he settled on his bed to read it, looking up from time to time to gauge how Yugi was doing. 

It seemed his roommate was tired indeed, because Ryou managed to get through half the book, and had halfheartedly returned to his prior research when Yugi awoke once more. 

The late day sun was filtering through the blinds, and the anthropology major heard a soft groan from the other side of the room.

Ryou turned to look, seeing that the game design major had sat upright in his bed, cupping his face in his hands. He hurried over.

“Ugh... Just how long was I out?” Yugi murmured wearily, looking at Ryou. “Last I knew, I was eating lunch with Joey, and then I...” Trailing off, he winced, his eyes scrunching up. 

“Only a few hours. Joey brought you back. “ Biting his lip worriedly, Ryou offered Yugi the unopened water bottle he’d bought to have with his lunch earlier. “Have you drank any water today? I can also grab you some asprin if you’re inclined.”

His roommate accepted the drink, unscrewing the top and gulping down a few mouthfuls. “Thank you,” he said, once he’d finished, “I was drinking water during lunch, but it must’ve not helped much.” Yugi laughed weakly, summoning a smile.

Ryou’s lips pressed into a thin line. “How do you feel now? Joey told me that you started acting odd right before you passed out.” 

Yugi seemed to take another moment to try to process his memories of the event, his face twisting in concentration. 

“I feel a lot better now, I must admit,” he began, rubbing the back of his neck habitually, “But I have a hard time remembering the latter half of lunch. I get a little woozy when I try to think about it. I must have been particularly tired today, haha.” 

The goth’s smile was slightly more genuine than the last, and Ryou sighed with relief, although it came out rather shaky.

“You had us worried, you know,” the white-haired man admitted, his shoulders sagging, “Joey showed up here with you slung over his shoulder, and I nearly felt my heart stop. You shouldn’t push yourself that hard. I know it’s important for us to solve this mystery, but be careful, okay?” 

Leaning forward, Yugi patted him on the arm apologetically. “Sorry, Ryou. Usually I can manage an all-nighter or two, but I think I was just a little too stressed this time.” He paused a beat, as if processing the rest of Ryou’s statement. “Oh, you met Joey? I’ll have to thank him later...” 

Ryou nodded. “He’s friendly, and was kind enough to manage to get you here. He even offered to add us to the club’s mailing list, since it seems that he’s in the gaming club as well.”

Yugi’s eyes widened. “I totally forgot about club. I hope there’s still time to go to it; I didn’t go through all of that to just miss the first meeting.” He scrambled to find his phone, locating it in one of his pockets. 

“Oh, there’s totally still time!” he announced triumphantly, a grin splitting across his face. He stared at his phone for a few moments more, before his expression fell, descending into a frown. “But I have texts from both Seto and Duke; I definitely missed class, huh.” 

Ryou leaned his arms on the side of Yugi’s loft bed, letting his head rest where he’d crossed them. Yugi continued to scroll through his phone, before quickly tapping out replies. 

“Duke has notes for me, and Seto... was demanding where I was.” Yugi groaned lightly. “I only just got him in check, too. I bet he thinks that I’m not as serious as I said I was.”

“You can’t help passing out,” Ryou replied, “You’ll just have to prove him wrong.”

“Yeah...” Yugi acknowledged reluctantly, “I just feel like I’ve been set back before I’ve even had a chance to start.” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryou reassured him, “The fact you got this far should mean that he’s capable of changing his mind. You’ll crack him yet.”

Nodding, Yugi sighed. “You’re right; I’m likely overthinking it. I’ll just try to enjoy club.”

Enough had gone wrong in the previous few days; hopefully he could destress at the club meeting. Ryou, as well as Duke and Joey would be there, so even if Seto gave him trouble, Yugi was sure he’d have a good time. They’d likely get to play some type of game this first meeting, too, if he was lucky. 

He’d worry about the rest later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little dash of Ryou POV, and a quick hint of Atem! Joey makes his first appearance! Next chapter will be the first club meeting~


End file.
